The Other Shrimp of the Military
by Sparx615
Summary: Genna Takeshi is a soldier. She fought during the Ishbal Massacre in 1908, a terrible experience for all those who served at the time. Seven years later, she finds herself getting into one bad situation after another. What's going on in the military?
1. Ishbal

**_Ishbal_**

**Tuesday, August 11, 1908**

_"Mommy? Mommy?"_

_Fire began to spread through the hallway, flames eating up the wood planks of the second floor._

_"_Mommy--!?"

_Within seconds, the whole house burst into a hungry red inferno. The broken roof caved in, crashing down into the house and causing the second level to collapse in on the ground. The little house existed as nothing more than burning firewood now, and the fire still spread…_

_From the depths of the hell, a small form crawled, bleeding, out. The tiny girl's wide eyes scanned the surrounding area for signs of help, all in vain. Salty tears ran down her cheeks, and she allowed her body to fall defeated to the ground. From there, she screamed bloody murder into the dry earth._

_"What are you doing here, Lieutenant?"_

_Terrified, the girl looked up as the smooth yet sinister voice reached her ears. Heart pounding at an unhealthy rate against her chest, she pulled herself around to face the speaker._

_Only he wasn't there._

_In front of the shivering girl stood a tall shadow, looming over her like Death. The shadow appeared to be that of a young man with long hair and a muscular frame, with an eerie air about him. Holding her breath in fear, the girl tried to inch backward. She couldn't move. The shadow took a step toward her… Maybe he would help her?_

_As though he had read her thoughts, the shadow replied: "Why should you live? Why, when many have died before you? Because of you?" _

_The girl could have sworn that see had seen the shadow's mouth, curled upward in a wicked smirk. She tried vainly to scream, and realized only then that she wasn't holding her breath- she simply couldn't breathe. Shutting her eyes as tight as she could, she attempted to wish this all a dream- this wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening…_

_"Look at me, Lieutenant…"_

_She did. It seemed as though she couldn't disobey the direct command, as though the instinct existed deep inside the little girl. Upon opening her eyes, however, the girl discovered nothing but the rising blaze. No shadow, no help, no hope… Once again, the girl found herself alone with Death ready to consume her, take her up and leave nothing left._

_And that's exactly what it did, as the fire extended far enough to devour the girl whole._

"No!"

The scream pierced the night like a sword through flesh, hanging on the air with no intent of letting go, joining the other grief-filled cries that had preceded it.

Genna Takeshi bolted upright, glancing frantically around her. Unable to breath, her panic swiftly built up. A million questions ran through her head at once, but for her lack of sight she could not answer most of them. Who was that shadow? What happened to her? Where did the fire go? When did it all disappear? Why did it all disappear? How did she end up in this black abyss?

Was she dead?

Dread filled Genna as she realized that no other explanation existed. A cold, prickly, crawling feeling covered her entire body, almost like icy water. Her lungs refused the oxygen that they required. Nothing but darkness could be seen in any direction, not even when she opened her eyes. Everything hurt, especially her chest, which felt crushed due to the shortness of air.

Truly fearful, she began to pat herself down to check for anything that might indicate her being dead. Nothing felt broken, no wounds cut through her body, and no burns stung her nerves. The pain that caused the most of her suffering felt more like a throb, like the kind one felt during a headache. However, rather than in her head, this hurt covered her entire body. On the other hand, the pain was slowly subsiding into nothing.

Of course, this could not completely calm Genna. The crawling feeling beneath her skin remained- in fact, while the pain began to vanish, the creeping sense grew. Gripping her head in agony, though, the crawl became clear. As she ran her fingers through her blonde pixie cut, she discovered a saline moisture building up. Sweat! Sweat, as sodium filled it, would of course feel itchy and creepy.

She sighed with relief; at least two things had been solved. It took her a moment to realize that she had sighed, however, and when she did she felt even better. Genna also felt stupid; how could she have forgotten to breath, thinking that she couldn't? Maybe she wasn't dead after all- just plain dumb. Sighing again, she ran through her thoughts to clear her head, and make sure she could remember everything else right. She did this by asking herself simple questions, though, after her scare, the answers didn't come as simply:

_Who are you? Genna… Genna Frost Takeshi. _

_There's more to that, isn't there? What did the shadow call you?_

_…Lieutenant. I am Second Lieutenant Takeshi._

_Good! Where did you come from?_ _The South, not far from Dublith._

_And where are you now?_

_I can't see…_

_Where should you be now?_

Genna started as she recalled the answer to this question. Second Lieutenant… As a Second Lieutenant from Central command, where should she be? She knew, of course, but to make sure she placed her hand on the ground. An uncomfortable wool sleeping bag served as her seat, but as she brushed her hand across the land around it, she discovered a softer and colder surface. Picking up a handful, Genna let it run through her hands like water. Just as she thought, the floor was made of sand.

Just as she thought, she was in Ishbal.

"Oh, no!" She exclaimed suddenly. "Drills, drills! I'm going to be late for drills! Stupid nightmares, keeping me busy! I'm surprised the higher ups didn't come in and shoot me awake!"

Scrambling around for her clothes, Genna clumsily pulled her navy blue jacket and side skirt over the rest of her uniform- plain navy blue pants and a white shirt, tucked in- and then fumbled around for her boots. In the process, she ended up tripping over her feet, landing at the foot of the exit to the huge military-purpose tent. Groaning, she spat out the disgusting sand that had filled her mouth.

There! To her left, a pair of small, sand-caked boots. She grabbed them and swiftly pulled them over her feet, standing up while she did. Nearly falling over again, Genna hustled out of the shelter and into the chilly Ishbalan night. No- it must be morning now. She could see the red sun steadily rising on the horizon. It seemed impossible that she could make it to drills on time! How did she manage to sleep in?

The lieutenant broke into a run, toward the flattened area the section used as a training ground. Straining her ears to listen for the familiar drilling sounds of shouts and marching, Genna hoped that she could make it. At last, the grounds came into view...

Nobody was there. Genna froze as her brain comprehended- nobody? Where could everybody be? Sweat rolled down the side of her face as she imagined what could have happened- did the Ishbalans attack? How could she have slept through that? Did they all go on a raid without her? No way! They would need her just as much as they would need the State Alchemists in this section.

"What are you doing here, Lieutenant?"

Genna nearly jumped out of her skin as the all-too-familiar words reached her ears. She spun around, expecting to see a dark shadow standing over her. Instead, she found a young man clad in a blue uniform, her black hair falling into his narrowed onyx eyes. White gloves, the right bearing a symbol of some sort, covered his hands. Resisting a sigh of relief, the lieutenant snapped into a salute.

"Major! Excuse me, I was not woken this morning, I don't know-" The man cut her off with a laugh, holding his hand up to stop her.

"It's alright, Takeshi. Today's an off day. The soldiers are taking the day off, at least until something happens." He explained, clapping a comforting hand on Genna's shoulder. Another bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

Oh.

"You can relax, by the way; I didn't put you in an attention stance." The major smirked. Genna smiled sheepishly, letting her shoulders slouch out of the attentive position.

"Sorry, Roy. Habit." The lieutenant apologized, cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment.

"It's alright; I know you're not used to the field. HQ's a lot easier, isn't it? Sitting at a desk all day and only saluting during training. I look forward to being my own boss when this war finally ends…" Roy Mustang chuckled, tucking a hand into his pocket.

"I'll probably end up working with all the technology… Assuming I make it out of here alive." Genna sighed, brushing her bangs from her bright eyes. "It's only a matter of time before I get killed, with all the close combat crap I do."

"I still don't know what the higher-ups were thinking, sending a seventeen-year-old to war. And with the alchemists! You have a whole life ahead of you, and almost without doubt they'll be throwing it away."

"Like you being here is any better. You just turned twenty-three the other day, didn't you? You could live at least fifty more years, but instead you became a State Alchemist."

Roy looked away at this comment, out into the desert. His eyes dulled, giving the major a saddened appearance. Subconsciously, he traced the chain of the silver pocket watch hanging from his pants.

"I realize my mistake in that now."

Genna nodded solemnly. Nobody wanted to be a part of this war, with the unusual inhumanity of it. The lot of State Alchemists had been sent in to completely eliminate the Ishbalan race… No survivors were to be left. The madness of it all was enough to drive even the strongest man insane- Major Mustang in particular felt great remorse for all the people who died at his hand, to his alchemy. Genna knew the man cried some nights, after a massacre. The genocide gave all soldiers chills and nightmares.

"Dreams again?" The lieutenant asked. Roy nodded in response, still watching the horizon. The sun began to shrink as it rose higher into the sky, warming the summer air.

"I can almost sense an end to it, though. The war. There are only a few districts remaining… Kanda, and some others. Can you believe that we've already killed seventy districts worth of Ishbalans?" Mused the alchemist.

"Kanda… I think I've been assigned there for tomorrow. It's too bad they sent Major Armstrong home… I think I'm meant to be his replacement." Said Genna.

"That's good. You'll be a lot stronger in Kanda than he would be. The Ishbalans there are particularly defiant… Especially with those Amestrian doctors there. That couple's what's making the Ishbalans arrogant, I'm sure. Armstrong would be killed in an instant."

"If that's the case, I should go back to bed. I'll rest up for a rough day… Just, wake me if something bad happens, alright?" Genna grinned, turning away from Roy and heading back to the camp. The major watched her as she left, a somber look in his eyes.


	2. Kanda

**_Kanda_**

**Wednesday, August 12, 1908**

The scorching wind howled furiously, lifting mounds of hot sand into the air and hurling it into the faces of the soldiers whom so numbly marched toward the desert. All heads were hung, eyes staring unseeingly at the white ground. Only one soldier, whom led the party, held himself high with a smile on his face. The man carried only the rank of a major, yet with his powerful and proud posture, one might have mistaken the blissful fool as something as high as a colonel.

Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi hid her look of disgust towards the man by tucking her chin into her chest and looking straight down at the sallow, grainy earth. She could hear the subordinates of the major mumbling among themselves around her, obviously sharing similar opinions. How could a man act so cheerful during such a sickening time? Genna's frown spread across her face; maybe the guy was crazy, and he'd kill them all in his bloodlust. Nobody here would put that past him.

"Maybe we can get this over with quickly," Muttered an older, stocky man beside the lieutenant. "The major, without doubt, will attempt to drag this on longer than need be. But…"

"Don't get your hopes up," Said a brunette soldier nearby.

"Who is this guy, anyway?" Genna asked, distaste in her voice. A couple of faces glanced up in surprise.

"You don't know?"

"Haven't you heard?"

"Ha! You'll find out soon enough."

"He's-"

The voices came to a stop as the party halted, their destination before them. A huge city, with the sounds of many Ishbalans within the boundaries. This was undeniably the biggest civilization in the Kanda district. The soldiers gawked up at the tall buildings, having not expected to come across a place so big.

"Here we are!" Cried the cheery major, turning to face his raiding party. "Men…" The man paused, gold eyes looking over the group and landing on Genna. She flinched away from his gaze, and he grinned. "And woman. I trust you all know what to do? I will take a few soldiers with me to the western side, and the rest of you can have your fun on the east. When it's time to leave, I'm sure you'll know. Now, I'll take…"

"He speaks of this as though we should be enjoying it!" Hissed the stocky man as the major called off names. "Murder is not playtime."

"I feel sorry for you, having to be under his command. Major Mustang, if nothing else, feels compassion and remorse." Genna told the soldier.

"Lucky you!" He lowered his voice before going on. "If we could only get close enough to kill this guy without him using his alchemy crap on us… We wouldn't have to listen to the psychopath anymore!"

"Alchemy? What kind?"

"You'll find out…"

"Sergeant Edwards, First Lieutenant Juan, and… Second Lieutenant Takeshi."

Genna jumped as she heard her name called out by the major. The stocky soldier pat her on the shoulder before hurrying after his comrades into the east half of the city. Gaping after him, Genna tried to keep herself standing. No way! Why did she have to go with the crazy guy?!

"Hurry up, Lieutenant, we haven't got all day!" Shouted the major, already leading his group westward. Shaking her disbelief off, Genna started after him. Might as well deal with the situation, and if they all got killed, well… Nothing could be done. With a sigh, she picked up her pace and caught up with the soldiers.

_Boom. _

Debris flew everywhere, the shockwaves of the explosion pushing back the soldiers whom had stood around to watch. The group all threw their arms protectively over their faces, save for one man. Rather, the major musingly stroked his chin, observing the blast almost critically.

"Whoa…" A soldier looked over his arm at the result. The whole western half of the city had collapsed, all in that one explosion. The others began to look up as well, also staring in awe at the flattening buildings. Genna Takeshi's face fell at the destruction. How could this be possible?

"All in one shot!" Laughed a soldier near the second lieutenant. Genna recalled his name, First Lieutenant Juan. His toothy smirk seemed almost characteristic- not to mention nauseating. "That's the major for you! Look at all those Ishbalans! All that…"

"Hmm…" The major had turned away from his work, still seeming thoughtful. His group looked up expectantly at him. "…Not very beautiful…"

_Beautiful!?_ Thought Genna incredulously. The alchemist had just killed hundreds of people and he was worried about beauty? She looked to the ruins of the Ishbalan city. No matter what, this scene… Nothing could make this scene beautiful, or even pretty. The sight of the city could only be described as disgusting and saddening.

The major turned on his heel to look at his party, arms spread wide. "It's a job, so make it beautiful! Make it perfect! Accompanied by screaming, be merciless and overwhelming!" This statement earned the major stares from his comrades. Was this guy serious? Did he listen to himself? "Now, let's go to the next…"

"Uh… Um…"

"Wai… Please wait, Major-" Juan began, only to receive a glare from his superior. The major grabbed Juan by his coat, throwing him out toward the only remaining part of the east side of the city. The first lieutenant only managed a pathetic cry before suddenly, his body shuddered and exploded. When the dust cleared, Genna could see the major dragging Juan's mutilated body away from the damage.

"Please pay attention," Said the alchemist, looking annoyed. "Isn't it your job to protect me?"

Genna wanted to protest, but a quick glance at Juan's remains made her bite her tongue. She wasn't here to protect this man- it was her country she was defending. However, she would have to keep her mouth shut if she wanted to protect anything. Obviously, she had been right- the major killed one of his own. The only explanation could be insanity!

"Ah… My jacket got dirty… Oh well. To the east, then!" Announced the major, leaving Juan's body on the ground before walking eastward. Muttering, the other soldiers hurried after him.

"Wait!" The major spun around, his group hesitantly slowing to a stop. What now? "I can take care of the rest on my own. Your job now is to check this part of the city for survivors. When we retire for the night, there should be no survivors! Get it done, then." The alchemist dismissed the group with a wave before returning to his journey to the east. There were many sighs of relief, as the soldiers were glad to be rid of the maniac. Genna, however, stayed where she stood.

Why would the major go off on his own, unless he had something to hide? Suspicion rose in Genna's thoughts as she watched her superior go. Something didn't seem right, after the man had chosen a group to come with him and then abandoned them. Before she could decide against it, the lieutenant followed the major, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Following the alchemist proved harder than it originally seemed. With his long legs, the major walked a lot faster than Genna. Not only that, but he possessed the tendency to make sudden turns, as if following a path that only he could see. After arriving in the still-standing eastern side of the city, this habit made the lieutenant's self-assigned task harder. The major would disappear behind random buildings, twisting through the maze of terror and death with no apparent intentions of stopping.

Finally, he did stop. Gratefully, Genna hid in the shadow of a house a few metres away. She bent over to catch her breath, green eyes still watching the major carefully. He seemed to be contemplating something, looking up at the strong-looking building before him. Then, to Genna's disbelief, he found a foothold and hoisted himself up onto the side of the structure. Stifling a gasp, Genna watched as he scaled the three-or-four story building with apparent ease. In seemingly no time at all, the major reached the top, pulling himself onto the roof.

Scowling, Genna walked to the place where the major had stood moments before. She attempted to climb up like he did, almost like a monkey, but her short body served no use for stretching out toward the cracks that she would use as foot- and hand-holds. Instead, she scrabbled up the side using the nearby window ledges as well as the breaks in the wall, which took considerably longer. In the meantime, she could only listen to the cries of Ishbalans to have any sense of what was happening.

"A soldier?"

"A transmutation circle!"

"A state alchemist!!"

Genna heaved herself up onto the top of the building. The major was kneeling, palms pressed firmly on the roof. He had discarded his jacket by the edge, so the lieutenant could clearly see his toned muscles… and something around his neck. By the looks of it, a string necklace had been tied around the alchemist's throat. Attached to the thread- something small and glowing, deep red in colour. Genna recalled seeing something similar, but she didn't have time to remember where. The major's side of the building bulged, the energy from his hands moving down toward the earth. Like in an earthquake, the ground ripped open. Next, it blew up.

"Get down! Brother!"

"Ah!!"

"Run!"

The screams of Ishbalans caused a spasm in Genna's body, the terrible sound sending a shiver down her spine. Collapsing to the ground, she gawked at the result of the explosion. This had turned out even worse than the last one! A line of flattened structures ran on for miles...

The major laughed. Genna hardly heard him. Her full attention was on the death in front of her... In awe, she couldn't pull her eyes away. Subconsciously, however, she noted her superior's excitement. She would loathe him later for it.

"Lieutenant?"

Genna looked up in her surprise as she heard her rank called, expecting to see the deranged alchemist looked down at her with those yellow killer's eyes. But the major still stood where he had been, at the other end of the building, not even looking at her. Slowly, she rose to her feet, confused.

"Did you enjoy the show, Lieutenant?" The man looked over his shoulder, appearing amused as he noticed the fear on Genna's face. "Beautiful, was it not?"

"How..."

"It's a pity you had to see, though. Nobody can know that I have this." He held up the red stone that he wore around his neck. Then, he frowned and seemed to remember something. Smiling again, he went on. "Oh! Forgive me for being rude. You don't know my name, do you?"

The major paused, striding nonchalantly over to the lieutenant. Genna shrunk under his gaze, an image from her nightmare flashing in her head for some reason unknown to her. Maybe the alchemist's long, black hair reminded her of the shadow... But no silhouette could appear as menacing as the muscular young alchemist that approached her, his ponytail fluttering in the strong wind, demon-like eyes narrowed maliciously.

"I'm Zolf J. Kimbley." Something clicked in Genna's head as the major spoke.

"The Crimson-" The lieutenant cut herself off with a gasp. Of course! Why hadn't she realized earlier? The Crimson Alchemist, Zolf Kimbley, who specialized in the transmutation of explosives. He was also known for using his own subordinates as raw material... Not to mention Genna had apparently seen something she should not have. Falling back onto her butt, she tried to scramble away. The edge of the roof came too quickly.

"You catch on fast," Kimbley chuckled, stopping a few inches from Genna. "That's good, saves me an explanation. Now, let's get this over with."

Genna ducked away as the crazed alchemist tried to put his hand on her head. She warily glanced at the strange transmutation circle on his palm; the lieutenant didn't understand alchemy at all, but she had seen those circles do their worst. There was no way she would let Kimbley blow her up so easily as that! Putting her rising adrenaline to use, Genna threw herself to the side and away from her potential killer. Pulling herself to her feet after a sloppy front roll, she looked around for a place to run. She could attempt jumping off the building... but her chance of survival seemed unlikely.

"Ah, I like it when my victims try to make it hard. Those who are so determined to live... no matter how futile their attempts. What a great day you're making this for me, Lieutenant." Said Kimbley cheerily, following Genna as she followed the perimeter of the building in an attempt to get away. He was starting to make her really sick, but the lieutenant kept her mouth shut. There must be some way for her to quickly climb or drop to the ground without breaking her neck!

She decided to risk a jump. A pile of relatively flat debris lay just below where she now stood... If she could land on her feet, Genna would be able to hop off the wreckage and find help- maybe even a hiding spot. Kimbley was too close... without waiting for second thoughts, she leapt, the air whistling as she plummeted toward the ground. A stab of pain told her she had found the pile, but not as she wanted. Her leg twisted oddly beneath her, obviously broken. Trying to ignore it, Genna rose clumsily to her feet and limped awkwardly off of the debris.

Kimbley followed shortly, landed like a cat on all fours. Panicking, Genna tried to run, only to fall forward when her leg gave in. The rubble scratched at her face, her nose slightly bent out of place after hitting the rock floor. With a moan, she rolled over onto her back, lifted to head to look for her attacker.

"You shouldn't have done that," The major commented as he approached her, a rare frown across his features. "You hurt your pretty face."

"Shut up!" Genna cried weakly. "Stop acting so nice and polite when you're going to kill me!" She crawled backward as she spoke, trying desperately to find a way out of this inevitable death.

"Arrogant, are we? Thinking you can get away in that condition." Kimbley's smile returned as he watched Genna struggle to retreat. "As a soldier, shouldn't you fight back when the enemy attacks? That's what I've been taught, anyway."

Genna ignored him. As if she could fight back, anyway! She wasn't an alchemist, nor would her hand-to-hand combat skills do her any good. If only she possessed something that could keep Kimbley at bay from a distance... Then she could escape!

Then she remembered something. Certainly, this counted as an emergency, and therefore she could use the weapon Roy had warned her only to use in emergencies... Reaching into her jacket, Genna pulled out a Browning M 1903 pistol and pointed it at Kimbley's chest. The alchemist froze instantly, looking dumbfounded. Obviously, he had no idea what a bad shot Genna was. However, her aim wouldn't matter if the threat alone kept him away.

Of course, with a broken leg, Genna realized she couldn't escape. What could she do? Scream, and hope somebody would come? Attempt to shoot Kimbley? With a burst of terror, she recalled the explosion that tore a road of destruction through the Ishbalan city. If she didn't do something now, the alchemist might try a ranged attack. Shaking, the lieutenant placed a finger on the trigger and looked away.

"What are you doing?" Asked Kimbley. He sounded amused, as always.

"I don't like to watch people die," Genna responded simply, still trembling.

"Look at me, Lieutenant."

Damn nightmare! Ever since that stupid night, Genna had been seeing and hearing the dream in real life. Now she recalled the feeling of déjà vu as the major gave the order. Still unable to overlook a direct command, she forced herself to look up into Kimbley's eyes.

"That's right, always look at the person you're about to kill." The alchemist looked so calm now, with the pistol aimed at his heart. How insane could this man get! He was basically telling Genna to kill him.

"I…" She could see the darkness that clouded Kimbley's golden eyes, and knew that her eyes reflected the same dull look. They both saw the world through a killer's eyes. However, Genna could never be like him. She refused to kill a fellow Amestrian soldier, no matter what the situation! That's what she told herself when she lowered her gun. "I can't… I won't!"

"It pains me to see how weak the military is becoming," Said the alchemist sadly, though he still wore that crooked smile on his face. Clapping his hands together, he knelt down and pressed his palms into the sand. An electric current shot toward Genna, stopping right before touching her. The ground then exploded in front of her, throwing her backward and knocking her gun from her hand. Crashing into a ruined building, the lieutenant slumped to the ground. Blood flowed freely from a wound on the back of her head.

Kimbley strolled over to the defeated soldier, looking amused. Genna forced her eyes open a crack to watch him, her body too broken to even shiver as fear crept through her nerves. All she could manage was a desperate countenance when the alchemist crouched down in front of her. She tried to plead him to spare her life through her watering eyes, though she knew her attempt would be in vain.

"I could leave you here to bleed to death, but that's no fun for either of us, is it? It would be much more courteous for me to finish you now." Said Kimbley, as if to himself. He stared at her for a moment, appearing to be contemplating something, and then reached out with his hands to destroy her.

_Crack! Boom!_

A burst of flame exploded beside Kimbley, causing the alchemist to flinch away from his victim. Leaping to his feet, he looked around for his attacker angrily.

"How pathetic of you, Crimson. I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to pick on a child."

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Kimbley snarled, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer. Genna lifted her head as much as she could to try and see her saviour. A tiny smile crept across her lips as she recognized the man.

Roy Mustang cracked his knuckles and advanced on the Crimson Alchemist, looking tired but irate. He held out his right hand, on which he wore a glove with an alchemical symbol on the back. As he snapped his fingers, an ember rose from his fingertips. The little spark then erupted into a stream of fire, shooting toward Kimbley. Kimbley jumped aside just in time, clapping his hands together as he did so. Body tense, he slammed a hand into the destroyed building. Its remains ruptured and came crashing down.

"Ah! No!" Roy cried. Even though he had managed to leap away from the falling rubble, the disabled Genna found herself unable to escape. The wreckage buried her, and the lights went out.


	3. Central

**_Central_**

**Saturday, August 22, 1908**

Genna woke to the sound of distant voices. Her head throbbed, a dull ache pressuring her temples. She felt dizzy and weak, and couldn't remember much. Those voices sounded familiar, but the lieutenant couldn't place them. Thinking about it intensified her headache. Upon trying to open her eyes and identify the speakers, a bright light filled her mind and blinded her. Quickly snapping her eyes shut again, she let out a groan of anguish and tried to fall back asleep.

"Did she just say something?" Inquired one of the voices. It sounded feminine and young, but Genna couldn't be sure. They seemed so far away… Maybe if she made more noise, the voices would come closer and knock her out again, or at least stop the pain. Determined to use these mysterious people to her advantage, she mumbled something that even she couldn't make out.

"She must be waking up! Good, I don't think I could stand another funeral." Said the second voice, sounded a lot clearer now. Genna assumed this one was male; his voice seemed deep and masculine… not to mention, a little familiar.

"Where am I?" Genna muttered weakly, the thought suddenly occurring to her. The surface she lay on seemed way too comfortable for any surface in Ishbal and the light didn't feel warm or natural.

"You're in a hospital in Central. How are you feeling?" The masculine voice asked.

"Central…?" After the word processed through her mind, everything came back to her. Kanda, Kimbley, the falling wall… Surely they wouldn't take her back to Central for a few cuts or bruises! She should be in Ishbal, supporting her country! Aghast, she jolted into a sitting position with wide eyes despite her pain and the brilliant light. When her vision adjusted, she found herself in a hospital room. Major Roy Mustang and some female soldier stood to the left of her bed, looking concerned.

"Please calm down, Lieutenant." Requested the woman. She wore the stars of a Second Lieutenant, same as Genna. Her fair hair was styled in a very short boy cut, with bangs falling into her auburn eyes. The expression on her face made her look worried yet superior, and Genna instantly felt as though she should obey the officer. Of course, she felt even more that she should receive answers. After all, they dragged her all the way back to Amestris without her permission!

"What am I doing here, what about the war?" She demanded, glaring at Roy the best she could in her condition. "And what happened to Kimbley?"

"Slow down, slow down!" The major pleaded, smiling apologetically at the hurt lieutenant as though he knew and felt sorry for what she was going through. "You're here because you nearly died, remember? That wall collapsed on top of you and broke nearly ever bone in your body, upon other things. You've been comatose for almost two weeks now, and in that time the war ended. Just this week, actually. As for Kimbley, he's been incarcerated, but-"

"Two weeks!? I've been unconscious for two weeks!? Why didn't you wake me up or something? Can't your alchemy crap do that? I missed the end of the war! The most important part of my military career and- incarcerated? As in, in jail? That psychopath is in jail? Yes! Serves him right!"

"Well, unfortunately, he's not behind bars for the reason you think. After I confronted him and he nearly killed you, he got away. I had no proof that he hurt you, and therefore I could not turn him in. However, after the war, he blew up a military building and a lot of superior officers. That's why he's here in Central, wasting away in the prison."

"Oh." Disappointed, Genna sunk back into her pillows. Then, remembering something, she turned her head to face the female officer. Roy quickly noticed the inquisitive stare.

"Ah! Sorry for forgetting to introduce my subordinate. This is Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye." Explained the major.

"It's very good to meet you, Lieutenant." Said Riza, dipping her head slightly in greeting.

"Same to you," Genna replied politely. "So, when do I get back to work?"

"As soon as all of your wounds heal properly. Fortunately, with the help of alchemy- _my _alchemy, mind you- your bones have been fixed, but unfortunately, gashes and bruises cannot be healed so easily. I think it counts as human transmutation, or something… Maybe if someone in the military knew rentanjutsushi, it would work, but we don't know anyone from the east…"

"I'll be back tomorrow," Genna declared defiantly.

"That's not a very good idea," Riza advised. "With injuries as bad as yours it's a wonder you survived. It's only been a week since you were hurt, and until you heal fully, you should not be putting any stress on yourself."

"She's right. Believe it or not, you're pretty important to the military- sort of. To us, at least. If you were to die because you decided to be an idiot, you wouldn't be the only one to suffer." Roy added.

"It's not like I'm going to be doing anything particularly difficult. I'll just be working with the technology, right?" Genna inquired.

"Well, Master Sergeant Kain Fuery is in charge of that field now. Unfortunately, you don't work for me officially, so I can't assign you to help him. You'll be doing whatever a superior wants you to do, until somebody claims you for their command." Roy explained.

"That's dumb,"

"Yes, well,"

Genna sighed. Well, there goes her fun. Frowning up at the ceiling, she tried to mentally close her wounds. Of course, she knew it wouldn't work, but it gave her something to do while she had to sit here in bed for who knows how long. After a few minutes of silence, Roy and Riza started to leave the room, muttering something about paperwork needing to be done.

"Wait!" Genna cried, suddenly remembering something. The other two officers stopped walking and looked back to the lieutenant.

"What is it?" Roy questioned.

"Thanks for saving me. But… why were you in Kanda?" Genna asked. Roy smiled softly at the inquiry, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"If I hadn't saved you, I'd be short one ally. Friends are very important when you want to rise to the top. Anyway, I was in the district because the rest of your team had returned to the camp. They said that you and Kimbley were nowhere to be found, so I figured something must be up. Unfortunately, it was a rather long walk, so I didn't get there before you got hurt." The major explained. Genna grinned.

"Thank you."

"I'll be waiting for you at East Headquarters!"

That said, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Roy and Riza exited the room, heading for the train station.


	4. East

Author's Note: Now that the "Prologue" is done with, I will be starting what I call the "Chaplogue". Basically, before I start the story as it should begin in accordance to the summary, I need to add a few background details (These details being what happens in the actual FMA storyline, as they are necessary to complete an FMA fanfic). This means that the next couple of chapters will be short (though not boring, hopefully!), and there will be some serious time gaps as I swiftly move on to when "Chapter One" begins in 1915. I'm hoping this moves along quickly, and by chapter eight-nine we should be back to a proper storyline.

Also, I'd like to clear up a few things. I imagine a few questions must be popping into some people's heads. First of all, the beginning of this story is based strictly on the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, though it will gradually twist into its own story. However, there will be characters from both anime and manga in the story. (Though all the homunculi will be manga-based and Father is the leader of the homunculi. Unless I'm mistaken, that only leaves Archer left for the anime side. I'd rather not have him at all but he's needed for a small part later on.)

I'd also like to add that this is NOT a love story about a fan character and Roy. Once again, this is strictly manga based- that means canon relationships! For the most part... Plus a few of my own... (Sadly, the story is not a comedy and I can't throw in my beloved Envy/Kimbley. Oh well. Dx)

-Sparx

**_East_**

**Tuesday, September 1, 1908**

"Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi reporting for duty, _Lieutenant Colonel."_

Genna stood upright in a salute before the newly promoted lieutenant colonel's desk. Roy smiled smugly at her, looking downright pleased with himself and his new rank. Glaring back at the arrogant man, Genna waited for his response.

"Didn't I tell you that you don't work for me?" sighed Roy dramatically. "Though I suppose I should grant you an assignment for being a good girl and staying in the hospital for so long."

"The nurses wouldn't let me out," Genna replied icily, eyes narrowing as she remembered the persistent women who practically tied her down to her bed. "If they had, I would've been back a long time ago."

"If you say so. Anyway, here's your task. I need you to finish all of this paperwork for me while I go out with my new girlfriend." Roy gestured at the mountain of paper on his desk, and then began to rise out of his seat. Before he could, however, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye raised her gun to his head threateningly. A drop of sweat running down the side of his face, the lieutenant colonel sat down again and picked up his pen. Riza lowered her weapon triumphantly. Genna held in a giggle.

"What he meant to say was this: Fuery has been having some difficulty with the communications equipment. He doesn't know what the problem is, but since you have experience, he thought you may be able to help him." said Riza. Nodding in response, Genna turned on her heel and left Roy to his paperwork.

Up in the communications room, Master Sergeant Kain Fuery was patiently awaiting the second lieutenant's arrival. When Genna walked into the room, Fuery sat in front of a big machine, adjusting his glasses as he tried to peer into it. Frustration burned in his dark brown eyes, and after a moment he sighed and leaned back.

"What's up?" Genna inquired, crouching beside the sergeant.

"The receiver isn't receiving messages." Said a voice from the back of the room. Genna glanced over her shoulder to discover Jean Havoc, the blonde-haired blue-eyed second lieutenant. "There may be some trouble in Ishbal still, and if we can't get messages from the soldiers there, we can't help."

"I don't understand it," Fuery groaned. "Everything seems to be in perfect order, with absolutely no problems!"

"Are you sure it's turned on?" Genna asked, doubting her replacement's skills.

"Of course it is! I'm not that dense. It was working just fine until recently, and when it stopped I wasn't even touching it! In fact, nobody's touched it all day, really."

"Odd,"

"Isn't there some way it could be fixed with alchemy?" Havoc sighed. "I bet those state alchemists are just too lazy to do maintenance work…"

"If nobody knows the problem, how would an alchemist know what to fix? I don't know a thing about that damned magic, but logically thinking, you can't fix something if you don't know what's broken." Genna explained, sticking her head into the instrument to take a look around.

It only took her a moment to find the problem.

"Right here. This wire's shorted out; you can tell because of the burn mark near the port. You'll just have to replace it." Genna pointed out the wire to Fuery, who smacked his forehead.

"I can't believe I didn't notice that! Now I feel really stupid. Thank you, Lieutenant." said the sergeant, hurrying away to fetch a new wire.

"That was quick. So that's the only problem?" asked Havoc, looking impressed.

"Yup, as far as I can tell," answered Genna, scanning the inside of the machine one last time before pulling herself out. "One broken current can cause loads of problems with the rest of the machine. Fortunately, the rest of the wires didn't short out as well. It should be receiving just fine once the new wire's in."

"Wow. I can't believe you were kicked out of this job, you sure know a lot about it."

"Tell me about it. Now I'll just be running errands until someone adopts me and gives me a proper job."

"That's dumb,"

"Yes, well,"

"Maybe if you hang around the chief's door long enough you'll be assigned to him."

"Oh, that would be exciting!" Genna exclaimed sarcastically. "Like I want to spend every day with that lovesick slave-driver."

"What a great thing to say about your friend…" Havoc sighed.

"If the shoe fits," Genna stood up and started to leave. "Whatever. I'm going to find something useful to do. Good luck with the receiver,"

"Yup. See you around."

Once outside of the communications room, Genna let out a deep breath and leaned against the wall. Staring blankly up at the ceiling, she began to wonder what life would be like in the military now. Was the war really over? Would Amestris finally be peaceful again? If so, that meant less work to do. It also meant that everybody in the military would get to return home, where they were safe from danger. Of course, the tension between Amestris and Ishbal would probably never disappear…

As for Genna, she would be living the easy life for a while. With no official boss, she could pretty much do whatever she wanted until given an order. Most higher ups possessed subordinates to do work for them, though, so she wouldn't have many work opportunities. Basically, she would be getting paid for wandering around headquarters. How boring! Maybe she should start getting friendly with a superior, so she would have a constant job.

For now, however, all she could do was wait for a task…


	5. Fullmetal

((Note: Sorry for the huge delay, I've been working on other projects.))

**_Fullmetal_**

**Friday, October 9, 1911**

Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi mumbled something inaudible under her breath as she trudged along the familiar hallways of the Eastern Headquarters. In her arms she carried a large stack of papers; a very heavy stack, to be precise. She wore leather gloves on her hands to protect herself from nasty paper cuts, the garments belonging to the same person the papers belonged to. The whole pile probably stood higher than she, the lieutenant being only one hundred and fifty-seven centimetres in height. Okay, maybe the load wasn't _that_ tall, but it sure felt like it to Genna.

"I can't even see where I'm going," she muttered irritably, peering around the stack in a feeble attempt to watch out for traffic. "I'm bound to run into something. Stupid Colonel and his stupid, indolent lifestyle…"

Genna continued to murmur insults, a particularly large vein pulsating visibly in her forehead and she grew more and more frustrated. Her arms began to ache and shiver as they grew tired of carrying the mass, and her temper grew shorter as she grew tired of running errands.

"He should have to carry his own crap, that stupid, lazy, slave-driving-"

The list of insults was cut short as the lieutenant felt pressure beyond the papers. It took her a second to realize that something was in her way, and by that time, she and the obstacle had tripped and fallen to the ground. The paperwork scattered all through the hall, making a huge mess. Genna blinked, still a bit confused, and gazed stupidly into space until she realized that something was squirming beneath her.

Gasping in alarm, she jumped to her feet, hoping she hadn't run over a superior officer. Much to her relief- and puzzlement- she found only a black-coated child glaring indignantly up at her through golden eyes.

"Watch where you're going, you half-pint!" the boy cried, also standing but with a more hostile posture. His blonde braids lashed around as he inclined his head sharply to add to his menacing stare. Genna thought he could only be twelve at the most, though even with his elevated boots on he just barely cleared her height. "Are you trying to run everybody down?!"

"Who're you calling 'half-pint'?" Genna snapped in reply, angry that this little kid thought he could insult a military officer and get away with it. "You better watch yourself, kid; other officers aren't as tolerant to names. Maybe in ten years you could outrank a few people here."

"You're the one who should watch it! In a few minutes I'll outrank half of the idiots in this dump!" That said, the boy stormed away, his stomping noisy in the quiet corridor. The lieutenant scowled after him. What an arrogant brat! Who did he think he was!?

With a snarl, Genna decided to forget about the rude child and return to the task at hand. Fortunately, nobody else had walked past, so all of the papers were still in tact. Even so, she had a hard time trying to collect them all- every time she got a good pile going, it would fall out of her hands again. Finally, after a series of frustrating attempts, Genna managed to arrange the stack and lift it without it tumbling over. Swearing under her breath, she continued on her way.

It was a minute later that she realized she had walked right past the colonel's office without noticing. Standing at the end of the hall, peering around the paperwork at the dead end, the lieutenant uttered a few more nasty words. Then, with some difficulty, she turned around and made her way back the way she came from. This time, she counted the doors, finally coming to a halt half-way down the passage.

Carefully placing the papers by the door, Genna turned the knob and pulled. Once there was a big enough space for her to get through, she retrieved her stack and lugged it into the office.

"Here you are, Sir Mustang, all of the work you were too lazy to-" The lieutenant looked up from setting the papers down, suddenly aware that Colonel Roy Mustang wasn't the only one at his desk. The annoying boy from earlier sat in a chair before Roy, his expectant countenance changing to one of surprise as he looked in Genna's direction.

"Ah, there you are, Lieutenant." Roy chuckled, flashing his teeth in one of those 'sweet' smiles of his. "Have you met Edward Elric? I was just telling him that he passed his state alchemist exam."

"And get on with it, Mustang! Just give me the papers since you're too lazy to do it yourself." demanded the kid, Edward.

"Isn't he a bit arrogant to be given such a big title?" Genna asked, incredulous. Who in their right mind would give a kid- especially a brat like this one- such a high-ranking position? Roy only shrugged in response- though Edward gave the lieutenant a loathing glare- and picked up a file from him desk. Extracting a sheet, the colonel quickly looked it over and whistled.

"Hmm… The Führer sure gave you an ironic name." mused Roy.

"What?" Edward inquired, reaching for the papers. Roy stood up and passed them over the desk, letting the new state alchemist snatch them swiftly from him.

"Nothing… Congratulations, you are officially a dog of the military."

"Hmm… This is the contract… It's surprising that it's just one sheet of paper for such a high title… 'Under the authority of President Führer King Bradley, the name Fullmetal will be granted to Edward Elric.'" Edward paused for a moment after he finished reading, his face suggesting that he didn't understand. "'Fullmetal'?"

"That's right." said Roy. "That's the name given to you."

"What a tiresome name… Don't you think?" sighed Edward, though a smirk spread across his thin lips. "I'll take it!"

That said, the Fullmetal Alchemist rose to his feet, dropping the file to the floor. Grabbing his new silver watch from Roy's desk, he pocketed the trinket and made for the exit. On the way out, he leered at Genna.

"Didn't I tell you? Now I outrank half of the people in this building; including you." Laughing harshly, Edward left the office, though Genna noticed a lack of energy in the boy's posture. Could he be upset about something, even though he had just become the youngest state alchemist in all of Amestris? Confused, the lieutenant approached Roy's desk.

"What is the Führer thinking, taking a child into the military? He's going to get himself killed, or he's going to break himself as soon as he has to do something irrational. That kid's going to go through hell and all we're going to end up with is another corrupted soldier." she explained, worry etched across her face. Even though she didn't like Edward, she also saw him as what he was- a child. A child didn't deserve what the Fullmetal Alchemist would surely go through sooner or later.

"That 'child' has already been through hell and back," Roy muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not my place to tell you, but I will say this: Edward is a very talented alchemist and I am confident in his ability. He may be a kid, but he's got a hard head and a tough spirit. Even if his emotions get in the way, he's got his younger brother, Alphonse, to keep him on the right track. That's what I'm hoping, anyway. This is their decision, though- we can't deny them what they want if they've got the skill to have it."

"I still think this is a bad decision,"

"If you're so concerned, why don't you go talk to them before they leave headquarters? They'll be going back to Risembool tomorrow, so you might want to interrogate them now if you must." suggested the Colonel. Genna hesitated. Did she really want to stick her nose in places it didn't belong? The last time she tried that, she ended up half-dead in a hospital… Of course, Roy spoke of Edward like he was a good kid on the inside. Maybe it would be a good idea to make an attempt at friendship with the Elric brothers? If Edward was as talented as Roy said, he would at least make a good ally in tough situations.

"Yeah, I'll go talk to him." the lieutenant decided at last. Roy smiled, dismissing her with a wave.

"Alright, then. And I'll have more errands for you when you get back!"

"Boss around your own subordinates for once!" Genna cried, already out the door.

Outside of the building, the lieutenant shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked around the vast courtyard. Surely, Edward couldn't have gotten too far in just a few minutes. After a moment, she managed to spot the blonde-haired shrimp a few metres from the road. Genna had expected his little brother to be with him, but instead she saw a huge suit of armour. Who would be walking around in such an odd outfit, especially in this heat? Disregarding the mystery, the lieutenant hurried down the steps and quickly caught up with the alchemist.

"Edward!" she panted, bending over to catch her breath. Edward and the person in the armour turned around to face Genna, looking confused. When Edward recognized the lieutenant, though, his eyes narrowed.

"What do _you_ want?" the boy questioned with a frown.

"Brother, who's that?" inquired the armour. Genna was surprised to hear that the person inside sounded very young. Could he really be Alphonse? Shaking the bewilderment away, the lieutenant straightened herself and held her hand out to Edward. When the alchemist didn't move, Genna smiled awkwardly and explained herself.

"We were never properly introduced. I'm Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi, and… Well, I'm sorry for knocking you over. Really, it was the Colonel's fault; it was his paperwork blocking my view."

Edward didn't react for a few seconds, then he shrugged and smiled, shaking Genna's hand.

"It's good to know we have a common enemy, at least. You already know, but I'm Edward Elric. The big lug in the armour is my little brother, Alphonse. We're alchemists from Risembool."

"Are you sure he's your _little _brother?" Genna asked, looking up at Alphonse as he bowed and mumbled a 'nice to meet you'. "He's twice your size."

A vein popped in Edward's forehead, as if the lieutenant had said something wrong. However, the boy apparently managed to contain himself- with the help of Alphonse, who placed a controlling hand on his shoulder- and heaved a sigh before speaking.

"So what did you want, anyway? I don't think you ran all this way just to apologize." Genna shifted uncomfortably at the question, not sure how to respond. How odd would it be to be told that a complete stranger was worried about your welfare?

"Edward, why did you join the military?" The words came out slowly, but the lieutenant forced them out. A spark of panic ignited in her mind when a guarded expression shadowed Fullmetal's face.

"We think it would be easier for us to help people in the military. After all, an alchemist's motto is 'Be Thou for the People'." It was Alphonse who replied. His voice was hasty and uncertain, signalling to Genna that the brothers were hiding something.

"Why do you want to know?" Edward demanded. Genna gulped; she couldn't lie to these kids. What would she say?

"I'm just worried about you two. I know it's not my place, as I hardly know you, but I've been in the military for a while now. I've seen some ugly things, and I know what it's like to experience some truly horrific things. I don't know how strong you boys are, but in the military, it's very hard to keep your sanity and even harder to keep your life." she explained after a pause. Edward flushed while Alphonse fidgeted.

"Thanks for your concern," said Alphonse.

"Yeah, but we can take care of ourselves. We've seen some pretty bad things ourselves- don't get the idea that we're naïve or something. We may be very young, but we know what we're doing." Edward assured the lieutenant.

"We'll be careful, though!" Alphonse added. Genna frowned.

"I'll take your word for it. Don't get a big head, though; it'll almost certainly be the death of you." she told them. The brothers nodded.

"We'll remember that. Anyway, we have to get going. I'm exhausted! So, it was good running into you, Lieutenant. Maybe we'll meet up again later." Edward grinned, pat Alphonse on the back, turned on his heel and stalked away. The younger Elric quickly bowed again before hurrying after his brother. Genna watched them go, not convinced that they would be able to care for themselves as well as they said. There was no doubt that there was something that they wouldn't talk about, but the lieutenant decided she had done enough prying for the day.


	6. Strange

Note: Yeah, I'm totally making these dates up as I go along. Be at ease, however; I'm making the most educational guesses I can using information from both the anime and the manga. So don't get all nitpicky on me because you think something should be at a different date.

**_Strange_**

**Tuesday, October 20, 1914**

"The Elric brothers have been working unusually hard lately," commented Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, nervously running a hand through his blonde hair as he tried to make an attempt at conversation.

All of Colonel Mustang's subordinates had gathered in his office for lack of anything better to do. Genna stood among them in the cramped room, not keen on going to find something to keep her occupied until the next day. Until Jean had spoken up, the crowd had been uncomfortably silent, the only sound being the scribbling of the Colonel's pen. Now that the quiet had shattered, everybody turned their heads to blankly stare at Jean, who shrunk under their gazes.

"They've been in and out of the library all week- sometimes I think they actually sleep there. I wonder what they could be researching." Master Sergeant Kain Fuery offered, saving Jean from discomfort.

"It's not like it's any of your business," mumbled Roy, focused on his paperwork for once. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stood over him like a bird of prey, making sure that he stayed focused. "If you're all so bored, why don't you help me out? It's not that hard to forge my signature."

"If you had done it a week ago, like you were supposed to, all of the work would be finished already." said Riza coolly, staring unblinkingly into space. The entire room flinched under the harshness of her words. Roy muttered something inaudible, and then began to write even faster.

"There hasn't been anything exciting going on since the war, and I hate to say it." Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda added with a frown, receiving a nod from Jean beside him. "Even with those headstrong Elrics around, we haven't been doing anything but deskwork for six years."

"Don't complain," Genna snapped, feeling a bit irritable. "You guys at least get to go and investigate that Scar guy every now and then. I get to run errands all day; no field work for me."

"Well, Takeshi, maybe if you'd start making friends and get someone to adopt you as their subordinate, you'd get in on some of the action." said Roy in a monotone voice. "And no, I won't take you in because I've already got enough idiots to look after."

Genna scowled, and then put on a fake smile.

"Fine, Mustang, I'll go join Hughes with his research and find a way to get you even more papers to sign." That said, the second lieutenant twirled on her heel and began to strut toward the door. Roy looked up in alarm, mouth wide in disbelief.

"Don't you dare! After all I've done for you!" the colonel cried, turning his gaze from Genna to his big stack of paperwork and back again. "You have no soul!"

"Stop overreacting, Colonel, and get back to work. Unless you need some motivation," Riza threatened, her stare icy. Roy winced, hesitating as if he wasn't sure whether he should fear more work or the evil lieutenant more. The answer was obvious, though; the colonel swiftly got back to work.

"Well, either way, I'm going to go do something productive. Like, shoot myself in the head or something." Genna waited a moment for protests, and only when nobody took her seriously did she disappear through the doorway.

"What that dumb Mustang doesn't realize is, the lieutenant colonel is all the way in Central." the lieutenant snickered, loving the fact that she had gotten to Roy so easily with an impossible threat. Like she would actually apply for a transfer from the Eastern Headquarters to Central just to get him more paperwork! Of course, Genna really couldn't blame him for being so worked up…

Apparently, a bridge in East had blown up a few days ago. Now, every soldier and their mother in the area were trying to find any trace of the alchemist killer Scar, who had apparently been seen around there. Even Jean was supposed to go join the search later in the day. Genna wasn't really up to date on the details, but she realized it was a lot of pressure and stress on the higher-ups. Including Roy. So, he was allowed to get a little panicky.

Of course, Genna had nothing to do, as usual. Bugging the colonel wasn't solving her boredom issues, and the rest of 'Team Flame' didn't mind having her around and therefore were no fun to annoy. Weaselling information out of random officers seemed like a dull task, seeing as nothing truly interesting was happening as far as she knew.

Scar. The Elric Brothers. Riore. The same stuff every day: 'Oh, Scar's killed another State Alchemist! Whatever shall we do?' 'Oh, yes, let's take advantage of Riore while they're vulnerable!' 'The Elrics are out getting themselves killed again because they're too hard-headed to think things through!'

_Yawn._

Every single day the lieutenant had to put up with the same stupid issues in the same corrupted military. She wasn't even sure what she was still doing here- she hated her job, she hated the people and she hated being bossed around. However, she wasn't really sure what else she could do; she had been a soldier since she was seventeen (or was it sixteen?), and hadn't been trained to do much else. Maybe she could be a maintenance worker? Well, that paid worse than the military, she was sure. An engineer? That sounded boring.

Sighing, Genna continued to trudge through the halls. She was too young to be caught up in trivial stuff like political problems and mass murderers. _Most _twenty-some-year-olds spent their days dating and partying.

What had she been _thinking_ when she joined the military?

A few hours later, the lieutenant found herself heading back toward Roy's office. Maybe he would be done with his paperwork by now and would be up for a boring, time-wasting conversation of some sort. When Genna arrived outside the colonel's door, the Flame Alchemist himself was just walking into the room. He was probably returning from some 'important errand'. Frowning, Genna slowed her pace so she wouldn't walk into Roy and followed him into the office.

"Hughes _again?_ Put him through." the colonel was saying, holding his phone to his ear. The lieutenant waited in the doorway, curious to see what kind of sparks would fly with this discussion. Surely, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was only calling up his best friend to brag about his daughter and wife. Just the usual. "It's me. I don't want to hear any more about your family!"

Silence. Genna strained to hear some sort of speech coming from the other end of the line, but she heard nothing.

"Hughes?" Roy blinked, apparently not hearing anything either. Genna cocked her head, uncertain of what was happening. The colonel looked just as confused. "Hughes… Hey!"

The alchemist started to panic. The lieutenant hadn't seen him actually lose it since the Ishbal War six years before. A drop of sweat ran down the side of Roy's forehead.

"Hughes! _Hughes!!_"

"Colonel, what's going on?" Genna cried, rushing into the room. The colonel had dropped the phone, eyes wide.

"Something's happened to Hughes," he said, voice hardly more than a whisper. That said, Roy shoved past the lieutenant and streaked down the hall.

*****

Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes had been found dead in a phone booth just outside of Central Headquarters, a gash on his shoulder and a bullet wound in his heart. His funeral was held several days later. For dying in the line of duty, he had been promoted two ranks to Brigadier General.

"Mama… Why do they have to bury Papa?"

Genna looked sadly to the little girl a few metres away from where she stood. The Brigadier General's daughter really was as cute as he always said… The poor, tiny child was clinging to her mother, absolutely bewildered and distressed.

"Why are you guys burying my Papa?" Elicia Hughes cried, staring with teary eyes at the soldiers who carried her father's casket to his grave. Her mother, Gracia, looked down at her with sorrow and concern. Of course a baby like Elicia wouldn't understand death. She was only three years old, and already her dad had been taken away. Genna forced herself to watch the funeral so the girl didn't spike her emotions even further. "No… No… If they do that, Papa won't be able to go to work anymore…

"Papa said he had lots of work to do! No. Please don't bury him! Papa!!"

Of course the funeral was sad. Sure, Hughes had been annoying. Sure, he had been a pain in the rear loads of times, even for people like Genna who didn't know him that well. Sure, he used the military lines to brag about his family too much… But he had always been the nice guy. He always saw the virtuous path in life and walked along it. Hughes had been Roy's best friend, and apparently for a reason.

Who on Earth would kill such a good man?

It wasn't long before everybody started to leave the graveyard. Roy and Riza stayed behind, and Genna thought to go over and offer some comfort. She decided against it, though, upon seeing the blank expression on the colonel's face. The lieutenant recognized that countenance. Roy was trying to hold back his feelings. Thinking it would be better to leave the alchemist and Riza be, Genna turned and left with everyone else.

Roy was gone for a while after that, investigating the crime scene where Hughes had been found, among other things involving the murder. When he was in his office, he was irritable and often over-reacted. He wouldn't talk to any of his subordinates except Riza, and then only occasionally. Team Flame left him alone and Genna busied herself with other things.

The one thing that they did conclude, though, was that strange things were beginning to happen in the military.

Things were going to start to get exciting.


	7. Relocation

_Author's Note: Again I would like to apologize for this extensive gap between updates. I've been busy, and I lost my muse, and I started working on a professional project (as in a novel I could actually publish), and overly I haven't been very motivated to make this. But now, what with Fullmetal's re-spiking popularity, I once again feel that random urge to write fanfiction and lots of it. I hope to be updating a lot more often from now on! -crosses fingers-_

**_Relocation_**

**Thursday, October 29, 1914**

"Second Lieutenant!"

Genna reclined against a tree in the courtyard of Eastern Headquarters, arms folded across her chest and her breathing slow and deep. Under the shade of the leaves, she looked like she was just taking a short break from a long day. Someone who knew the lieutenant better, how ever, would be able to conclude without a doubt that she was actually taking a nap after a long day of avoiding work.

"Second Lieutenant Takeshi!"

Stirring, Genna cracked open her eyes groggily at the sound of her name. An enlisted man was running toward her. He didn't look like he was delivering urgent news, but all the same, the lieutenant quickly leapt to her feet. She banged her head against the trunk of the tree as she rose, but ignored the pain in order to look less like a slacker and more like a soldier that was just about to return to errands. In her rush, she almost forgot to salute a greeting to the lower-ranking man.

"Colonel Mustang wants to see you in his office. His exact message was: 'I want to see you immediately. Don't distract yourself with slacking off on the way.'" said the soldier with a salute, looking down at Genna with a blank expression.

"What, does he honestly think that I'd be ditching work or something? That jerk… Thanks. I guess I'll see what he wants, then." Genna sighed, nodding to the man before walking past him. She tucked her hands into her pockets and began to make her way back into the headquarters, mumbling a few things about her interrupted nap as she went.

By the time the lieutenant made it to Roy's office, it was already crowded. Besides the Colonel himself, Riza, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, Jean Havoc and Vato Falman were standing before Roy's desk, waiting for instruction. Roy frowned when Genna walked in, looking somewhat irritated. Shrugging, the lieutenant stood beside the other soldiers and prepared for some sort of lecture.

"Well, then!" began the Colonel, standing up and placing his hands on his desk. "Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi. The six of you… are being transferred to Central."

Genna's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the others with her peripheral vision, but none of them seemed too surprised. Clenching her teeth, she turned her gaze back to Roy, wondering why he would choose to bring her to Central with him and his proper subordinates. Maybe he was taking pity on her, or maybe he just wanted to be able to have someone to torture in the state's capital. The lieutenant frowned, trying to decide whether or not being transferred would be a good thing or not. It definitely wouldn't be a good thing if it meant having to work officially for Roy… though maybe that would mean she would have more exciting tasks to work on.

"I won't hear any objections. You're coming with me." Roy told them, and every soldier snapped into a salute, Jean mumbling a 'yes, sir!'.

"Oh…" Jean said suddenly, as if remembering something. "Almost forgot! There's just one problem, sir."

"What?"

"Y'see, I just got a new girlfrie-"

"Dump her. You can find a new girl in Central. If you just started going out, then your relationship isn't too serious yet. Consider yourself lucky that you got off easy!" the Colonel laughed, turning away from his subordinates to look out his window. Everybody else gave Jean a sympathetic pat on the shoulder; the poor guy could never keep a girl.

"Anyway, I guess we should start packing. When are we leaving, Colonel?" Heymans asked.

"One week. Get moving!"

The soldiers all mumbled a word of understanding before filing out of the room. Genna lingered behind, wanting to confront Roy about picking her for the transfer. After all, moving would require extra effort, and she wanted to confirm her status before even thinking about packing up her dorm.

"Colonel, why did you pick me?" the lieutenant queried once the others had left, approaching the Colonel's desk. Roy continued to stare outside for a few moments before answering.

"…With everything that's going on, I have this feeling that I'm going to need as many friends at my side that I can get. I can't stop thinking that something bad is about to happen, and that something strange is going on in the military. Even if it's only a feeling, it's enough to act on." he explained at last.

"…You're right."

"I thought that when I was finally transferred to Central, I would have Hughes there to help me along. To help me rise to the top. But now that he's… dead… I need everyone else. Otherwise, nothing will ever be right. That's what I think."

"So… Does this mean I'm going to be your official subordinate now?"

A grin broke out on the Colonel's face. "Yes, starting next week you will be under my command." He let out a dramatic sigh. "But if anybody asks, I'll have to deny it, because you're so useless it would make me look like a crappy leader and I'll never get promoted!"

"You jerk!" Genna cried, though she couldn't help but smile. "I'll be so useful to you that I'll be the one to get to the top instead, because I had to do so much work to help you!"

"Keep dreaming, shrimp! How long have you been a second lieutenant, now? Six, seven years? You became an officer so quickly the higher ups had to chain you down to the bottom! By the time you get off that leash, I'll be retiring from my position as Führer President!"

"With that big head of yours, you'll end up sinking to the bottom! Then you'll only be able to support your old subordinates as an enlisted man in order to accomplish anything!"

"Why are you talking to your commander like this? I can demote you, you know!"

"Fire me for all I care, but then you'll have one less pawn on your board!"

"You're giving me a headache! Just go, already!" Roy slapped a hand to his forehead and collapsed into his chair for effect, making sure to exaggerate the look of pain on his face. Genna smirked, resting her hands on her hips in triumph. After a moment, she resumed a serious countenance, addressing Roy formally.

"Sir, we will all do whatever it takes to make sure you can rise to the top in order to fix whatever it is that's going on. You can count on us; well, I'll speak for myself and say you can definitely count on me. Thank you for taking me with you to Central." That said, the lieutenant saluted and left the room.

Back in her dormitory, Genna heaved a big suitcase onto her squeaky bed and began piling clothes and belongings into it. As she did, she discovered an old picture frame hidden deep within the mess that could once have been called a dresser. Blowing the dust from the glass, she saw that the photograph was that of Roy when he was a Major, standing with all of the soldiers that had been in his squad during the Rebellion. The lieutenant herself could barely be seen among all of the much taller men. Smiling, she carefully placed the frame in her suitcase under one of her dress uniforms.

"It'll be a long journey, but after all us veterans have been through, it'll be cake. Don't worry about it, Colonel."

*****

"Whoa, Central looks different from when I last saw it." Kain commented, pressing his nose to the glass of the train as they approached Central City. Amestris' capital was just beginning to loom over them. Jean, Heymans and Vato peered over the Master Sergeant's soldier to confirm that the city did seem quite different.

"If you remember," Roy sighed, looking as though the last thing he wanted was to be in a train compartment with all of his subordinates. "Isaac MacDougall- the old Ice Alchemist- came here during my short trip here a while back. He and the Elric brothers tore the place apart while the military tried to capture MacDougall. A large portion of the city had to be rebuilt."

"Don't be modest, sir. You did a lot of damage yourself." Riza piped in from the Colonel's side. Roy's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't admit to anything.

"You alchemists are all a bunch of nut jobs." Genna laughed, leaning over Jean's shoulder to see Central. "You say alchemy is about creating, but all I ever hear about is how you destroy everything you come across!"

"Yeah, like Lab 5. That was another of the Elrics' messes, wasn't it? I don't think the guys in Central have finished cleaning it up yet, it was so bad." Heymans commented. The other non-alchemists nodded their agreement.

"What you fail to realize is that every situation you're thinking of involved Fullmetal in some way. It's that headstrong brat that causes all the damage, he just gets the rest of us state alchemists caught up in it and then we all have a bad name!" the Colonel protested.

"Don't lay the blame on others when it wasn't too long ago you destroyed a whole parade ground with your damned fire!"

"Fullmetal was involved in that, too! And hey, the Führer even agreed to it! It was a mock battle!" Roy cried.

"We all had to help clean that up! It took ages, and it wasn't even our city!"

"Ha-ha! That's right; you all went to Central to see that! I'm glad I stayed in Eastern, or I would have had to help!" Genna chuckled, receiving a glare from everyone but Riza.

"Central, Central!" The train was beginning to slow in order to stop at Central station. An official with a megaphone announced the arrival from the platform.

A few hours later, Roy and his subordinates were loading the Colonel's new office with supplies and miscellaneous decorations. Genna mumbled some complaints under her breath as she stocked Roy's desk with pens and ink, her thoughts clouded with the burden of having to unpack and properly move into her new apartment later. The others seemed to think similarly, as nobody appeared to be having fun with the transfer so far.

Well, nobody except Roy, whose joy came from ordering his underlings around as they moved to and fro throughout Central headquarters. Only when the sun had vanished beneath the horizon did he finally let up on his bossiness and allow the soldiers to go home. Nobody had any issue with _that_ order, and everyone left the office in a hurry.

Genna, on the other hand, walked down the halls at her usual leisurely pace, not bothering to tire herself any further by hurrying. As she journeyed through the base, subconsciously chewing her lip, she took in every detail about this unfamiliar place that she would have to call home. The officers seemed more uptight here, and definitely snobbier. Every conversation the lieutenant eavesdropped on seemed to be about money or power, and occasionally a moan or groan about a mission that had been given out. Uninterested, Genna turned into one last corridor that would lead her to the exit.

"…Kimbley? That lunatic? Are you sure?"

The lieutenant froze and took a few steps backward to stand by a door the voice had come from. A chill ran down her spine. Had she heard that right?

"Yes. The Crimson Alchemist would be very useful to us at this time, what with Scar running about and killing every damn soldier we've got. Who else would have the guts to do all these things?"

_Kimbley? The Crimson Alchemist? _Tightness gripped Genna's throat as the name triggered her memory. The Crimson Alchemist, whom had nearly killed her so long ago… What were the men behind this door saying? To the lieutenant, it sounded like… Could they possibly be considering the release of Kimbley?

_Don't be ridiculous, Takeshi, only a mentally-incapacitated fool would even consider letting that psychotic murderer out of prison. Really, he should have been executed a long time ago! _she told herself, giving herself a mental slap in the face. She had probably misunderstood the conversation. After all, she had started listening in the middle of it, and from the other side of the wall she would surely be missing a few words here and there.

"No. We couldn't possibly allow it. It's far too risky." A wave of relief crashed over the lieutenant as the first person spoke, but then the other man went on. Genna pressed an ear to the door to listen more closely.

"Risky? Please. There's no danger in this; even the Führer thought it was an idea to consider when I brought it up to him the other day. I just need you to sign this paper."

"Th-the Führer? King Bradley? W-well… Either way! I think this is a terrible idea. I still won't sign."

Genna heard someone walking toward the door and quickly moved out of the way, assuming a casual stance and expression in order to look like a normal soldier passing by on her way home.

As she walked away, she glanced over her shoulder to see a tall man with short, light hair leaving the room with a rather irritated look. He wore the patch of a Second Lieutenant on his shoulder (there were so many of them in the military!), but if that were really his rank, Genna was sure she would have seen him before, even if she hadn't been to Central for a long time. Maybe he had been promoted as quickly as she? Still, she couldn't help but feel that there was something out of the ordinary about him.

"None of my business, though," the lieutenant decided with a shrug, and she continued on her way to her apartment.


	8. Conspiracies

**_Conspiracies_**

**Saturday, November 7, 1914**

Roy Mustang stared absently at the destroyed ground as he slowly walked through the rubble. This place had once been the location of the mysterious Laboratory Five, and was now its ruins. The colonel clenched and unclenched his fists nervously, once again lifting his gaze to look at a piece of smashed wall that, as usual, displayed no diagrams or pictures or anything remotely meaningful. Sighing, he kicked a small chunk of floor in his frustration- hurting his foot in the process- and continued to search the remnants.

"Several individuals… the Philosopher's Stone… Lab Five… I just know they're all connected, but how? C'mon, Hughes, what did you find…?" mumbled Roy to himself, shuffling through all the information he had gathered in the past three weeks. Dark bags had formed under his eyes, a stubble growing on his chin. A small rumble from his stomach reminded the man that he had already lost a lot of weight. Still, the long nights he spent researching and investigating would hopefully prove fruitful in the end. After all, he had already discovered that the Philosopher's Stone was made from living human beings, which meant that whoever was making the Stone would have to have a heavy supply of life somewhere. Basic common sense led him to believe that the Stone was being researched in an alchemy lab, and since Lab Five was right next to a prison, it would make sense to conduct the research here.

But what did all of that have to do with the military, or Hughes' murderers? The phone operator who had received the brigadier general's last call had reported that he had said the military was in grave danger, but from what? All of the thinking was giving Roy a headache, but he was determined to figure out what was going on. Maybe whoever had killed Hughes was trying to create a Philosopher's Stone to take down the military. But, wait… After the funeral, Major Armstrong had refused to speak about the incident in detail, even when ordered by a superior officer. That meant that he was being silenced by someone in high command, so could it actually be the military making the Stone? How would they use it, though, that would put the military in danger? Hughes had apparently started to call the Führer right before his death, but then decided against it, calling the colonel instead. That meant that he didn't trust the military lines, and probably not the military itself…

What on earth could the higher ups be plotting?!

"What are you doing here, Colonel?"

Roy jumped and swung around to face the voice, arm extended and fingers at the ready to release an alchemical burst of flame if he was being attacked. He was relieved to discover Riza and Genna walking toward him with concerned looks. Relaxing, he shoved his gloved hand into his pocket and looked away.

"I could ask you two the same thing. It's late, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Colonel, it's actually early. You should be in your office; we were worried, so we came looking for you. You weren't in your apartment, so we checked other places I figured you might be. Like here." Riza explained, saluting formally as she slowed to a stop behind her boss. Genna lingered a ways behind, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

Roy blinked and looked up at the sky. Indeed, the sun had risen quite a ways up into the sky. It must have been a few hours past the time he should have arrived at the military base; how could he have lost track of time so easily? Frowning, he massaged his temples and turned toward the road to make his way back.

"I apologize for my carelessness." he said briefly, taking long and hurried strides. Riza nodded in acceptance before following the colonel.

"Did you find anything out?" Genna asked, stepping up next to Roy as they walked.

"…Nothing new," he replied. "But I have a really bad feeling."

"For your own safety, sir, maybe you should let this be. At least for a little while; you're looking very unhealthy." Riza observed.

"No! I'm so close to solving this puzzle, I can't just let it go now!" Roy was now speaking quietly, eyes darting from side to side suspiciously. "Something's definitely not right; this isn't just some average murder case. 'The military's in grave danger'… I think that means that high command is doing something horrible, something that no one can know about. I-" He stopped abruptly, biting his lip.

"What is it, sir?"

"…Nothing. Forget I said anything; I don't want to get you guys involved." That said, the colonel picked up his pace, leaving the women soldiers behind. Genna and Riza stared after him in silence for a moment.

"He doesn't want us to end up like the Brigadier General," Genna concluded. Then, she sighed in frustration, scratching the back of her head. "This is too much! When I signed up for this uniform, I didn't think I'd be dealing with corrupted governments or alchemy or the what's-its-face Stone… Maybe I should just quit now before I end up dead."

"You can do what you think is right, Takeshi." said Riza. "But I made a promise, so there's no escaping for me."

The first lieutenant proceeded to run after Roy, determination in her auburn eyes. Genna remained where she was until a guilty weight began to ease onto her, persuading her to hurry after her superiors with every intention of sticking with them until the end. After all, she had made a promise, too.

Meanwhile, a man in a second lieutenant's uniform watched the soldiers run toward Central Headquarters from the shadows, frowning slightly. Once the trio disappeared from sight, he turned and walked into an alley.

---

"So, the Colonel's been sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, has he?" asked a busty young woman once the second lieutenant finished talking. The man nodded, glancing briefly around the dark cellar before continuing.

"Like I said, he's been digging real deep. I think he may be close to figuring us out."

"Well, we can't have that, can we? What do you propose we do about him. Envy?"

The soldier frowned and shrugged. Then, suddenly, his body began to change shape. An instant later, a scantly dressed man with long black hair and violet eyes stood in the second lieutenant's place. A tattoo of a snake biting its own tail could be seen on his thigh, identical to the mark that sat between the woman's collar bones.

"We can't kill him," Envy began. "He's a leading candidate for our human sacrifice, after all. I would say we arrest that one lady, Maria Ross, for the murder… I did disguise myself as her, after all, so someone's bound to have seen me leaving the crime scene. But, thinking about it, it would probably only result in more trouble. I doubt Mustang would buy it."

"You're right, but we need to keep him quiet, or he'll expose our plans."

"I'm sure we'll think of something. His subordinates are expendable; maybe they'll lend us a hand."

"Lust! Lust, can I eat them? Can I eat Mustang's friends?" cried a stocky man with a high pitched voice, waddling up behind the woman. Lust placed a hand gently on his head as if he were a dog, patting him.

"No, Gluttony, you can't eat them." she said softly. "Oh, by the way, Envy… Have you had any success in approving the Crimson Alchemist's release?"

"Ha!" Envy snorted. "Even when I say Wr- oh, I'm sorry, the Führer. I even said the Führer approved of the idea and still that official won't allow it! I guess Bradley will have to stop slacking off and do his own job for once. It wouldn't kill him to write an order for me to present."

"That would be easier. I'll ask him to do it, then."

"What did we even want him out for, again? He's too much of a coward to be a human sacrifice, and once Scar's out of our way he'll be no use."

"I'm sure we'll find something."

"He would be a tasty snack! Can I eat him when you're done with him, Lust?" begged Gluttony.

"No, you can't eat him."

---

"I need a lead…" Roy muttered, turning the page in the fifth book he had read that day. This was the third time he had looked at this volume, and once again the pages and pages of alchemical research proved useless. He had been lucky to stumble upon the truth of the Philosopher's Stone a few days ago after decoding a huge stack of papers he had found in the library, but since then he had been drawing a blank. His visit to Lab Five that morning had been one of his many attempts to tie all the loose ends together, but of course there had been no evidence there.

"Maybe I'm just looking at the wrong things… Maybe it's not alchemy alone; I should be looking into the military's personal alchemy research and see if they might've slipped any information that I could tie into everything else…" He slammed the book shut and returned it to its shelf before turning to the small section in his collection that detailed the military's history. Choosing a thick book as well as a file of his own reports, he sat back at his desk and opened the book. The first two pages displayed a big map of Amestris. After a few moments of staring at the picture, all the colonel concluded was that his country was extremely circular.

_Kind of like a transmutation circle, _he thought vaguely. He looked at the pages for another few minutes, and then suddenly slammed his fists on the table. Jumping to his feet, he opened up his file and quickly read through a few of the papers. Then, taking a pen from a drawer, he began to draw lines in the book.

"The Ishbal Massacre, where almost an entire race was wiped out… In Lior, a riot broke out, the death toll was massive… Border skirmishes in the South and West, naturally there were casualties…" Roy started to connect the cities together, then paused and exchanged his pen for a pencil. After a couple of tries, he managed to turn Amestris into a sort of transmutation circle, but it was incomplete. Deciding to try a little guesswork, he extended Amestris' border into the northern country of Drachma, forming a complete circle. Then, tracing a few more lines, he finished the diagram. "What is this…? I've never seen anything like it before… But this must be… What Hughes found!"

Unable to stand, Roy collapsed back into his chair and covered his mouth with a hand to keep himself from shouting. He knew a lot about alchemy, but this was one transmutation circle he had never witnessed. Still, he was sure he had drawn it correctly; though it was very basic, it looked right. Could this be the circle used to transmute the Philosopher's Stone? Committing the page to memory, he made a mental note to ask the Elric brothers later; they would surely know.

"I can't let anyone see this, though…" There was no way Roy was going to let himself get shot for knowing too much; he had gotten too far to just die because someone didn't want him to have this information. He ripped the map out of the book, careful to make sure it looked as though they had never been there, and burned the pages with his alchemy. Then, he cleaned up his desk and returned all of his books and files to their proper place.

Someone was planning to use the country to create a giant Philosopher's Stone; he was sure of it! The next step was to find out whom.

Roy smiled grimly as he left his office, wondering how many more nights he was going to spend without sleep.

**Author's Note|| **I hope you guys like this chapter, because it took a lot of research and work on my part to make it this accurate. x-o


	9. Retaliation

**_Retaliation_**

**Sunday, November 15, 1914**

Genna groaned loudly, wondering indignantly why Roy had called her to his office on her day off. She figured it had to be something important; he had sounded rather devious over the phone, as he usually did when he had just figured something out. The Lieutenant was currently assuming that this spur-of-the-moment meeting had something to do with the other day. After all, something had been bothering him since she and Riza had found him in Laboratory Five. Perhaps he had finally discovered the people whom had murdered Brigadier General Hughes?

Frowning indecisively, she pushed open the door to the Colonel's office and stepped inside. Once again, everyone had made it there before her: Roy, Riza, Kain, Heymans, Vato and Jean were all sitting at the table, looking solemn. A little ways off stood Edward and Alphonse Elric, the former pacing back and forth with a gloved hand held contemplatively over his mouth. Raising her eyebrows curiously, Genna sat down beside Jean and looked to Roy at the head of the table.

For a moment, Roy said nothing. Then, he slowly stood, placing his hands on the tabletop and staring down at them with narrowed eyes. Presently he turned his gaze at his subordinates before him, taking a deep breath before addressing them. Behind him, Edward and Alphonse became still, watching the Colonel silently.

"I would first like to ask that you all speak nothing of what you will hear in this room today. Not to anyone, not even each other. Once you leave this room, this conversation never happened. Understood?" Roy waited silently for the soldiers to finish swearing silence, then went on. "I have just received some very… _interesting_ information from Fullmetal. I'm sure you are all familiar with the incident at Lab Five?"

Everyone nodded. Genna gulped, her suspicions confirmed. This could easily be either good or bad news; possibly even both. She glanced toward Edward and noticed that he looked slightly troubled. Roy went on.

"As it turns out…" He paused, as if trying to think of how to word his description. When he began to speak again, he had lowered his voice so much that the soldiers had to lean forward to hear him. "Individuals known as the 'homunculi' were behind the operations at the Lab. They were researching the legendary Philosopher's Stone, and apparently using the scientists themselves as ingredients."

"When Al and I went to the Lab before it was destroyed, I saw a huge transmutation circle in a big room with blood stains all over it. I'm sure that's what they used to turn the researchers into Philosopher's Stones." Edward explained while everyone looked on in horror. Experiments on humans? The Philosopher's Stone? Of all of the people in the room, only three of them were alchemists, and none of these said alchemists were the soldiers who were hearing all of this for the first time. The information hit them hard. "We were attacked by two- well, technically three- people, but they weren't flesh and blood like normal people." The young alchemist looked up at his brother with a frown and seemed to decide against saying something. "They were just souls fixed to suits of armour, and they said they were guarding the place. That doesn't make sense if the lab was supposed to be abandoned.

"The guys who fought me confirmed that the lab was being used for transmuting the Philosopher's Stone. They were about to tell me who was behind it all when two homunculi called Lust and Envy came in and killed them. Obviously, I've since figured out who they are and most of what they're doing. They called me a 'valuable human sacrifice', though, and while I'm not sure what that means, but I've got an idea."

"Human sacrifice?" Genna questioned in the pause that followed Edward's words. "But why you? You're just a kid."

"Oh, right… You don't know." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a limb made of steel, and beside him Alphonse removed the head piece of his armour. There was nothing inside of the suit. Genna went pale, as did Kain, Vato and Heymans. Genna had never even known that Edward had an auto-mail arm, and none of the four had even imagined that beneath the armour, Alphonse had no body.

"To make a long story short, Al and I tried to bring our mother back to life with human transmutation and failed miserably. Instead of retrieving her soul, we were sent through this place called the Doors of Truth, where we were broken down and a bunch of information about the world and alchemy was forced into our heads. As a toll for this information, I lost most of my left leg and Al lost his entire body. I then sacrificed my right arm, when backs to the Doors and pulled his soul back out, attaching it to that suit of armour.

"That's why they called me a human sacrifice, I think. Whatever they're planning, they can't use alchemy themselves. I've figured that much out. So, they'll need really talented alchemists like me, particularly those who have seen the Truth. I think Al is considered a sacrifice, too, because he saw more of the Truth than me."

"But what is it that the homunculi want you to do?" Jean inquired sceptically.

"That information is what killed Maes Hughes." replied Roy darkly. The soldiers gulped, Edward and Alphonse looking away guiltily. "So now I must ask: Are you willing to hear the truth? Or would you prefer to remain ignorant from this point on, thus ensuring your safety? I cannot say what may happen to you if I say what I have learned. Well?"

"Colonel, I will stay and listen." Riza said almost instantly.

"This is some really dangerous stuff, huh?" sighed Jean, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I have no choice. I can't let you and some kids try to save the world all by yourselves, after all."

The rest of Roy's subordinates followed suit, all agreeing to stay and hear about the homunculi's plans no matter how risky it was. Once they had finished, the Colonel nodded slowly and sat down.

"If any of you have seen a map of the country recently, I'm sure you have noticed that it is very… circular. As an alchemist, I unconsciously compared it to the shape of the average transmutation circle. It was then that I made the connection. You are all aware of the recent riot in Lior, and I don't think there is a single soul in this room that does not recall the Ishbal massacre. Not to mention, there have been quite a few battles on the east and south borders as a result of border issues. All of these have resulted in mass fatalities, all centred in one place each… If one were to think like an alchemist and connect these points, one would find something very odd.

"This being that Amestris' border, along with the points of battle, together form a giant transmutation circle. Fullmetal has confirmed that this circle is identical to the one he saw in Lab Five, but with one point missing. We have come to the conclusion that this point would be in the North, approximately at the Amestris/Drachma border; next to Briggs."

"In other words, the homunculi are planning on using the entire country- and every last individual within its borders- to make a Philosopher's Stone." Alphonse summarized. "We're not sure how the outer part of the circle is being formed, or if it's just the border itself, but we do know that Briggs will be the next place that's hit. We're not sure how, but I think the homunculi might persuade Drachma to attack us. That would probably lead to a lot of death, finishing the inner part of the transmutation circle."

"And there's one more thing you guys should hear." Edward began, a shadow falling over his face as he nervously inclined his head. "The other day, me, Al and two… friends, I guess, tried to lure the homunculi out of hiding by putting our lives in danger and fighting Scar; they were obviously keeping us alive, so we figured they would step in and save us if we were about to be killed."

Several soldiers nodded; everyone knew about the fight between the Elrics and Scar from just a few days ago, as it had wrecked a large part of Central. Besides that, Roy had been helping to drag the battle out, which meant that a few of his subordinates had been involved.

"We almost got a hold of the one called Gluttony, but at the last minute, the Führer President himself stepped in and helped the homunculus get away. Which brings me to my point… King Bradley is a homunculus." concluded Edward. He waited for the gasps and exclamations of disbelief to die down before explaining. "Our friend- Ling Yao, a kid from Xing- fought him while Al and I were fighting Scar. Ling said that during their fight, the Führer took off his eye patch and revealed that he had the symbol of the Ouroboros on his eye. All of the homunculi seem to have the Ouroboros somewhere on them: Envy has it on his thigh, Gluttony on his tongue, Lust between her collar bones and another homunculus, Greed, had the tattoo on his left hand."

"So we've been working for a homunculus this whole time?!" exclaimed Heymans incredulously.

"There's no way! Besides, aren't homunculi supposed to be impossible to create? They're made from human transmutation, right? If everyone who's tried it has failed, there can't be such a thing as a homunculus!" argued Vato.

"'There's no such thing as no such thing'. That's what Greed told me. I watched him get half of his head blown off, something nobody could survive, and he was as good as new in no time." Alphonse countered. The soldiers fell silent.

"Based on what we know, I have come to the conclusion that there are seven homunculi, named after the seven sins." said Roy after a moment. "Envy, Lust, Gluttony and Greed are the ones that we have seen so far, not counting the Führer. The others would have to be Wrath, Pride and Sloth. One of those three is King Bradley, and the other two have yet to be discovered."

"So what's the plan, Colonel?" asked Genna. The others also expressed curiosity.

"Colonel!" Before Roy could answer the question, an officer burst into the room, an urgent look on his face. With surprise Genna recognized him as the second lieutenant whom had been trying to get Kimbley released a little more than a week ago. Who was he, anyway? And what did he want?

Roy seemed to share her opinion, judging by his confused countenance. He quickly hid his uncertainty and stood as the man hurriedly saluted him.

"Sir, there is some trouble in the city, and the Führer requests the assistance of you and your subordinates to handle it. I'm not very clear on the details, but it's supposed to be by Laboratory Three, sir. The Führer advises you to hurry before things get out of hand."

"What?! He can't send the police? They would be faster." the colonel protested.

"Like I said, I don't know anything." said the man, looking uncomfortable. "He just told me to tell you."

"Yeah, yeah…" Roy grumbled, instructing the other soldiers to follow him out. "Fullmetal… Stay here. Wait for me to come back. That's an order."

Edward and Alphonse nodded, and within a few minutes, Roy and his team were hurrying out of the office. As they were leaving, Genna heard Alphonse say to his brother, "Isn't Lab Three where Marcoh was researching the Philosopher's Stone?"

A bad feeling settled in the lieutenant's stomach.

At the scene of the trouble, the soldiers found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. There wasn't even a sign of struggle or misconduct anywhere near Laboratory Three. After questioning a few citizens, Roy's group came to the conclusion that they had been misinformed and that there was nothing here. They were just beginning to put away their guns and return to Headquarters to question the orders when they heard a soft noise.

It sounded like someone talking quietly, and it was coming from the small, enclosed patch of trees in front of the lab. Roy looked at his subordinates dubiously, then at the foliage.

"It's probably the wind." suggested Kain. However, the wind had died down a while ago and now the air was very still and quiet. This made the sudden, loud rustling noise in the trees a few minutes later even more peculiar.

"Whatever it is, I'm going to check it out to be sure. Havoc, give me a lift." Roy ordered. Jean helped the Colonel climb over the fence, and the latter dropped down on the other side. Riza quickly followed, hardly waiting for Jean's assistance before jumping down beside her boss. Roy motioned for the others to stay behind, so they waited while he and Riza disappeared into the shadows.

Reluctantly the soldiers waited for their superiors' return, bored and disappointed that there had been nothing for them to do. Before long, their moping was ended by a loud, pained scream. They looked up in alarm; had that been the Colonel?! The cry was followed by a series of gunshots.

Jean and Genna ran up to the fence and helped each other over. Heymans tried to follow, but was too big to get himself over and too heavy for the others to assist quickly enough. Thus, they came to a silent agreement that he would stay behind and stand guard. Kain and Vato, whom had little battle experience, also remained on the other side of the fence.

The two second lieutenants found what they were looking for a few yards into the labyrinth of trees; Roy was leaning against a tree, something long and sharp stuck in his shoulder and pinning him to the trunk. Riza was standing next to him, looking around frantically for the attacker with her gun ready.

"What happened?!" Jean demanded, holding up his gun and preparing to be attacked. Genna followed his example, even if she was useless with a weapon.

"Hello, Colonel." called a low female voice. A shapely woman with long black hair was approaching them, her hand held out; whatever was sticking through Roy's shoulder seemed to be attach to her outstretched index finger.

"Solaris!" cried Jean in shock, stumbling backward. "What are you doing here?!"

"You're here too, Jean? I thought you would surely stand me up after the last time we had a date." said the woman.

"You know her?!" Genna and Riza shouted in unison, incredulous.

"The Ouroboros…" Roy snarled, staring at the tattoo of a snake biting its own tail between the newcomer's collarbones.

"I just noticed that…" Jean breathed, pale. "So she's a homunculus…"

"You must be Lust." Riza inferred, recalling what Edward had described earlier.

"It seems you've all done your homework." Lust chuckled, smiling devilishly. "That's too bad; you all know too much. As much as it pains me to kill a potential human sacrifice, I can't let you live when you know all of this. Don't worry; your other companions will be soon to follow."

"Before you do anything, I would just like to ask you one thing." Roy began. The homunculus raised her eyebrows curiously. "Did you kill Maes Hughes?"

The other soldiers tensed, ready for the worst. The Colonel's expression had grown dark and dead serious, his hand reaching into his pocket for his ignition gloves.

"Hughes? Oh, yes, he was another who stuck his nose in too far. But no, I did not kill him. It's unfortunate, I would have liked to have been the one to cause the misery of his final moments…"

_Crack!_

A stream of flame exploded from Roy's extended hand, engulfing Lust's legs and burning them nearly to ash.

"You will get on your knees and tell us everything you know." the alchemist ordered, his rage clear in his eyes. "You will tell us what the military is planning, every last detail, and who the homunculi are. You will also tell us who the human sacrifices are and what they are to be used for. And, finally, you will tell me who murdered Hughes."

Lust laughed at this command; she was still standing. Some kind of red electricity sparked around her injured legs, and within seconds they looked as good as new. Completely unharmed. The soldiers had been told of the regenerative ability of the homunculi, but seeing it with their own eyes stole their breath away.

"It will take a lot more than that to make me kneel, Colonel." explained Lust, actually retracting her spear from Roy's shoulder and returning it to the length of her other fingers. As she did, claws shot out from her other hand, and she reared her arm back in preparation to strike.

Before she could, Riza and Jean shot several rounds into the homunculus' vitals, giving Roy time to recover and get out of the way. The Colonel was just about to aim and hit Lust with another blast of fire when she turned her attention on him- despite the healing bullet wounds that littered her body- and struck out with her lances. Roy stumbled sideways to avoid them, but one caught him in the side of the head and left a bleeding gash. Without hesitation he snapped his fingers and sent Lust up in flame once more.

"Colonel, are you alright?" Riza demanded, breaking her concentration to glance at Roy. Just as she did, Lust recovered enough to adjust her aim and send a deadly spear soaring toward the lieutenant. Genna reacted quickly, dropping her gun and grabbing a hold of the lance before they could reach the other soldier. Swiftly, she snapped it in half, slicing open her hands in the process. Lust drew in a breath and retracted the broken finger, and instantly it began to regenerate. Riza nodded her thanks and was sure to keep her eyes on the enemy from that second onward.

"Your attempts are futile," Lust told them. "It'll take a lot more than what you've got to kill me. By the time you even get close, you'll be dead."

"We'll just have to keep trying, then!" Roy had put his other glove on by now, and with one hand he shot a powerful line of flame at Lust's throat. His aim was perfect, and a second later, he followed up his attack by using his other hand to create a huge explosion that literally tore the homunculus apart.

"Watch it, chief!" Jean cried, shielding himself from the deadly blaze with his arms. The female soldiers had backed up to avoid the terrible heat of the blast, turning their heads from its blinding light.

It was an instant later that the Colonel realized his mistake. By using such an uncontrolled flame in the wooded area, he had set fire to the ground and trees. Soon they were surrounded by the fire, and it was closing in on them. Roy looked around, but there was no sign on Lust. Well, at least they had gotten rid of her… for now. But if they were killed by his reckless act, it wouldn't matter.

"Good job, Mustang!" Genna called, retreating from the flames. Before long the soldiers all had their backs to each other to avoid being burned by the ever-growing fire.

"You should have stopped me if you had seen this coming!" Roy replied loudly, searching frantically for an escape. He gasped as an ember jumped onto his pant leg and burned a hole into the cloth, searing his skin.

"We're trapped," Riza concluded, still calm as was her nature.

She was right. There was no way out.


	10. Torn

**Author's Note|| **Fixed a mistake in the dates of the last two chapters.

**_Torn_**

**Sunday, November 15, 1914**

The flames were closing in on Roy, Jean, Riza and Genna. It was only a matter of time before they were engulfed in the blaze. Roy was still looking for an opening, or some other way to get out. Everything around them was covered in fire… It was only natural that such a small, enclosed area would light up so quickly. If only they had spotted the trap ahead of time…

Just then, the colonel saw a patch in the fire that had momentarily died down for lack of fuel. Gulping, he thoughtlessly grabbed a hold of Riza's arm and ran for the gap. She cried out in protest, but Roy shoved her into the opening and hopefully away from definite doom. Beyond, he could just barely make out the fence that led to the streets. Now, he just had to get everyone through the path in the fire before it closed up again!

"Come on!" he called, holding his arm out to Genna and Jean. Jean pushed the other soldier forward, and Roy caught her and threw her toward Riza, who was hesitating. Not needing any further motivation to get moving, Genna came up behind the first lieutenant and forced her forward. Finally Riza turned away from the men and fled.

Roy and Jean followed, the former running behind his subordinate to make sure that he would get out. They soon caught up to the women, who were struggling to climb over the fence with some assistance from Kain and Heymans on the other side. Roy grabbed Riza around her middle and lifted her up so that Kain, who was being held up by Heymans, could grab her hands and lift her over and onto the safer side of the fence. Genna had barely managed to scale half of the red-hot iron by herself and quickly accepted Kain's helping hand to pull herself over.

Determined to be the last one to safety, Roy hurried to lift Jean over. Before he could get near the man, though, a tree suddenly blew up in flame, sending embers flying all over the place. Roy took a step back as sparks burned his eyes, lifting his arm to shield his face before he could get hurt more. It was then he heard Jean scream and fall to the ground.

"Havoc!" the colonel cried, moving his arm to see that his subordinate had been hit with a large piece of bark, which had knocked him down. Now the fire was licking at his feet, catching on his pants. Too horrified to move, Roy could only stand and watch as Jean's lower half was covered in flame. Jean had fallen unconscious by now and couldn't save himself.

Not a second too soon, Roy reclaimed his wits and grabbed a hold of the lieutenant's arms, pulling him out of the blaze. Then, he ripped off his jacket and used it to put out the fire that had started to decompose Jean's legs.

"Call an ambulance!" ordered Roy, dragging his fallen companion toward the fence. "And back up!"

On the other side, Vato ran off to get help, Kain at his heels, while the other soldiers obeyed the command to step back. Roy held his hand to the fence and snapped his fingers, creating a small tongue of fire that quickly melted away a piece of the iron. The colonel quickly proceeded to rip the fence open and haul Jean through it.

"Is he okay?" Genna inquired, staring wide-eyed at Jean's injuries. He was burned nearly black from the thighs down, everything else up to his abdomen raw and bleeding.

"Alive, at least. Dammit…" Roy knelt beside Jean, sweat pouring down his forehead. This had happened because he had been careless with his alchemy. He had injured his own friend! How could he have let this happen…?

*****

The next morning, Roy and his subordinates found themselves in the hospital. The colonel's head and shoulder were bandaged up, as were Genna's hands. Jean was in bad shape, but alive, now resting in the bed that the rest of the group had circled. Roy hung back a little, obviously feeling guilty for having caused so much destruction.

"The doctor's saying that as far as he can tell right now, Second Lieutenant Havoc should make a full recovery." said Riza, entering the room with her usual emotionless expression. "But the healing process will take a long time."

"At least he'll be alright. Jeez, those were some nasty burns." commented Kain with a grimace. "I can't believe we fell for that trap… We should have known it was suspicious right away, especially when we didn't see anything at first!"

"It was because it was suspicious that we went in to check it out." Genna remarked. "After all, hadn't we just been talking about you-know-what before we were called out? So we were all eager to find something out, and we blinded ourselves with excitement and got hurt because of it."

"Next time, I'm going in with you idiots! If I had been there, I could've made sure you didn't do anything stupid." Heymans sighed, scratching the back of his head. Roy's eyes narrowed a little. Riza noticed this and frowned.

"We were all tricked, so we are all equally to blame." she put in.

Before anyone else could say more, Jean stirred and blinked. Wincing and gripping the covers of his bed, the man looked around at the soldiers around him and forced a smile.

"Hey, guys, what gives? I need a little breathing space, y'know? Well, Lieutenants Hawkeye and Takeshi can stay, but…"

"Just woke up and already you're pressing your luck." Genna mumbled. _I guess he's feeling okay enough, if he can flirt just fine…_

"Where am I, anyway? The hospital? Aw, man, what happened? My legs hurt like hell…"

"You were knocked unconscious and fell into the fire." Riza explained simply. "You burned your legs, but you should be able to recover."

"_Burned my legs?_" Jean cried incredulously, shifting his body a little. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, apparently having confirmed the first lieutenant's words. "Damn… I guess I'll be out of commission for a while. Sorry, chief… Wait, where is Mustang?"

The other soldiers, save for Riza, blinked and looked around. Roy was still standing away from the others, so the group moved so Jean could see him.

"What're you doing over there?" asked the hurt man. "Oh, never mind, I know that face- you think me being hurt is your fault, huh?"

"I should have known better than to use an uncontrolled attack in a wooded area." replied Roy softly.

"But I'm going to get better, right? So what's the problem? Hell, if you hadn't torched that bitch we could _all _be dead instead of just me being medium well."

"But…"

"Don't get yourself worked up about it, chief, I'll be back at your side in no time. You don't have time to be worrying about one mistake and one subordinate, anyway… You're supposed to be making your country better, right? How do you expect to do that if you're moping?" Jean smirked grimly, and Roy also managed to grin.

"I suppose you're right…"

"Of course he's right, Mustang! Besides, you're always a big idiot, we're used to it by now." joked Genna. Everyone but Riza murmured their agreement. Roy looked rather taken aback by the muttered hits on his intelligence.

"Hey! That's no way to speak to your superior!" he protested, his guilt melting away- at least superficially. He then turned to Jean. "But… They are right. I've been a huge idiot. So…" The colonel lowered his voice. "When I get to the top, I'll be sure to make it up to you."

"Wow, thanks, chief! Hey, do I get to pick the reward? How about all of the most beautiful women in all of Central?" Jean suggested enthusiastically.

"Sorry, Havoc," Roy began, putting on a serious countenance. "But the women are mine."

"What?! You can't have all of them! Sharing is caring!"

"Please! I know you- once you see a nice set of boobs you can't get enough! You'd take more than your fair share!"

"You're the same as me! Don't try to deny it!"

"Men are ridiculous…" Riza sighed, crossing her arms. Kain, Heymans and Vato were laughing at their bickering superiors and were soon throwing their own opinions in.

"Tell me about it… Maybe we should leave…" Genna groaned.

"That sounds like a good idea. I could use some fresh air, anyway. Do you want to walk with me outside?"

"Sure. Sounds better than standing around here with these idiots."

While the men were arguing, the two girls snuck out of the room and left the building, just strolling aimlessly along the hospital's grounds. Neither of them spoke, but instead enjoyed the morning walk silently. Above them, the clouds were dark and swollen, threatening rain. A strong, cold breeze was blowing in from the north.

Such conditions were normal for this time of year. The familiar warnings of winter were a comfort to Genna; with all of the odd things going on around her, it was nice that some things like the weather were still the same. She smiled and let herself forget about the strange happenings for a few moments.

"Who's that?" Riza inquired suddenly, looking up toward the road. Two uniformed men were walking toward them, one carrying an armful of papers. Genna frowned, also unsure of their identity… They looked important, though, and like they had serious business to do. The women stopped and waited for them to approach.

"First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi, correct?" questioned the empty-handed man. He was rather intimidating, with narrow eyes and a very angular face. Genna felt shorter than usual, having to look up to see his face.

"That's correct," said Riza slowly. The creepy man nodded and took two envelopes from the other guy, handing one to both women.

"I am Storch, the Führer's personal secretary. These are transfer orders, written by the Führer himself."

"Transfer orders?!" Genna cried, gaping first at Storch and then at her envelope. "You've got to be kidding! We were only just transferred here a week ago!"

"The orders are mandatory. You cannot refuse." replied the secretary in a monotone.

"But it doesn't make any sense! Did the Führer say why?"

"He did not. I apologize for any inconvenience, but these are orders. You are to report to your new positions tomorrow. Good day." With that, Storch and his assistant turned and left. Genna stared after him, mouth still open.

"What the heck!?" she exclaimed at last, when the secretary had vanished from sight. "This is ridiculous!"

She turned to Riza to see how the other woman was reacting to the news, and found the first lieutenant staring at the papers with wide eyes, reading them over and over again. A horrified expression darkened her features.

"What is it…?"

"'First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, report tomorrow to Central Headquarters tomorrow…'" Riza read slowly, quietly.

"Well, that's good, isn't it? What kind of transfer is that if you're not going anywhere?" Genna questioned, starting to open her own envelope.

"'…as the Führer President's personal secretary'!" the other woman finished, voice shaking.

"_What?!_"

"What kind of orders are these?!"

Now Genna was scared to find what her own orders were. With shaking hands, she pulled the papers from their case and quickly reviewed the typed text on the first sheet. With each word she read, her jaw dropped a little more, eyes growing wider. She almost ripped the papers as her fingernails began to dig into them.

"What does it say?" Riza asked grimly, watching the other lieutenant's reaction closely. Genna shook her head and slipped the order back into the envelope, tucking it into her jacket.

"Let's head back."

Back in Jean's room, the girls found themselves stepping into a very quiet, dark atmosphere. They first noticed Roy, who had again separated himself from the group and now held a hand over his face. Jean was still lying in bed, but was now staring blankly into space. The other three soldiers were each holding a package of papers in their hands, identical to the ones Riza and Genna had just received.

"Are those…?" Riza breathed, trailing off in her disbelief.

"Transfer orders, yes." Roy finished, sounding bitter. He looked up and swore when he saw the female officers with their own orders.

"But what is the meaning of this? Why are we all being relocated?" the first lieutenant demanded.

"They're spreading us out." Vato replied. "I'm being sent to the north."

"And I'm to go to West," said Heymans with a snarl.

"And they're having me go to the south," said Kain. "Where are they sending you two?"

"I am to be the Führer's personal secretary." Riza responded slowly.

"What?!" Roy cried.

"How better for them to keep an eye on me than to have the head of the operation himself watch over me?"

"Those bastards…" the colonel seethed, tense. "Crippling me by leaving me with only an injured soldier… And I'll bet that once you recover, Havoc, they'll take you away, too…" He sighed in a resigned matter, then looked to the women again. "You haven't said anything yet, Takeshi. What are they doing with you?"

Genna gulped, hesitant to answer. Finally, staring at the ground, she repeated the words on the paper:

"Second Lieutenant Genna Takeshi, report tomorrow to Central Headquarters under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zolf Kimbley."


	11. Crimson

**Author's Note|| **Just wanted to let it be known how ecstatic I am about the new anime so far. Brotherhood is making it so much easier for me to research events and timeframes from the manga when I want to put something similar into this story. I think I'll be able to keep this completely manga-based, now, as opposed to the mixture of the old anime and the manga that I had planned in the beginning. Yay! Though now that the story is finally taking its own turn, I hope I won't have to worry about specific details from the manga for much longer.

On a different note, three chapters in one month! A new record! Don't get used to it, though, as school's started again and I have no idea how long my fanfiction high will last.

**_Crimson_**

**Monday, November 16, 1914**

Genna gulped and tried to put on a straight face as she walked to Central Headquarters that morning. She was failing at her attempts to hide her anxiety, especially since she had no control over the trembling of her arms and shoulders. The weather wasn't helping her at all; the sky was still grey with ominous clouds looming over the city. Every now and then she would feel a drop of rain hit her head as a prelude to the storm that was sure to rival the one from the previous afternoon. It was the darkness that these clouds brought that troubled her; it was as though the atmosphere was trying to set the mood for what she would be facing today.

According to the order she had received yesterday, she was now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zolf J. Kimbley, the Crimson Alchemist. He was also the one whom had tried to murder her more than six years ago after she had seen him using the Philosopher's Stone to destroy an entire Ishbalan city during the Massacre. Only two weeks ago, he had been in Central's prison, rotting away in a cell as he had been since the end of the war. Now, apparently, someone had let him out… and let him back into the military.

But who in their right mind would invite a psychopathic killer to be a soldier?! After all, the military was Amestris' government, they ran the country, what kind of country would they live in if everyone in the government was a crazy pyromaniac?! Well, given, Roy was a crazy pyromaniac who was aiming to run the country, but Genna was okay with him. He didn't try to kill his supposed allies, after all. He had never murdered someone without reason. (Unless you counted the whole Ishbal Massacre, but Genna didn't like to think of that as murder without reason because it made her sick to her stomach.)

Of course, the second lieutenant was forgetting that the Führer President, King Bradley, was apparently an artificially created human- a homunculus. Therefore, it made a bit more sense that he would allow someone as insane as Kimbley into the military again. Thinking of the situation this way, though, scared Genna even more. Not only was she to work under the man who had tried to kill her, but every soldier- including all of her friends, the people she cared about- were working for an evil homunculus who not only had taken over the country but was planning to turn it into a huge Philosopher's Stone or whatever Edward had said.

Suddenly Genna found herself wishing that she had never wished for a more exciting life, because apparently exciting meant horrible conspiracies that would eventually lead to the death of every last citizen in her country.

She should have stayed in the East, on the countryside, where at least she would have never heard about all of this crap.

Hesitantly, Genna ascended the steps that lead up to the headquarters' entrance and walked inside of the building. The transfer order had told her where her new superior's office was, but she was hoping that maybe if she pretended to get herself lost she could postpone the inevitable. Or maybe she could go to Roy's office and hide under his desk. Anywhere was better than where she was headed.

Licking her lips, she tried to force herself to be calm. Never let your enemy see that you are afraid; it was something she had learned in the academy, so now was time to put it to use. Finally she managed to put on a more solemn countenance and end her shivering, though she couldn't help but bite down on the inside of her lip and clench her fists tightly at her side.

She felt like she was walking right into the den of a lion.

The lieutenant paused in front of the door to the room that now belonged to Kimbley. Uncomfortable, she looked around but found nothing familiar in the hall to comfort her. Roy's office was all the way on the other side of the building; too far. Where was she supposed to sneak off to if things got bad? The rest of her friends were out of reach, too; Riza was the next nearest, but she was the Führer's personal secretary as of today, so going to her could be even worse than entering this new office.

It was looking like Genna would just have to suck it up and face her fears by herself. Courage was something that she hadn't really had to deal with since the war in Ishbal, and even back then it had always been hard for her to summon it. Without her friends she felt small and weak.

Scratch that last analogy. She felt like a rabbit hopping right into a wolf's jaws. It didn't help that Zolf rhymed with wolf. Groaning quietly, Genna shook her head and pushed the uneasy thoughts aside. A woman had to be strong. Show no fear.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the office. It was a lot smaller than Roy's, with a big desk in front of the window, facing the door. A shelf that was even more packed with books than the colonel's was set against the wall to her left, a small table and chairs set sitting on the other side of the room. Though rather empty, the place was actually pretty cosy and welcoming. The room was definitely a lot neater than Roy's; papers and utensils were placed in a neat pile on the desk rather than littered across ever available surface, and everything was clean and spotless.

Genna surely could have gotten used to this, if not for the man sitting at the desk.

Zolf Kimbley looked exactly as Genna remembered him. His long black hair was pulled back, his gold eyes focused, posture relaxed and expression cool and calm. He had left the jacket of his uniform unbuttoned in a casual fashion. A thick book was open in front of him, and he appeared to be reading it and paying the lieutenant no mind. Taking note of this, she quietly began to walk toward the table to have a seat and hopefully be left alone.

"Hello, Lieutenant. You're early." said Kimbley suddenly without even looking up, making Genna jump.

"H-hello, sir," she managed to stutter, saluting. Silently she cursed her nerves. The man chuckled.

"You're jumpy this morning. Please relax; you're making me nervous." He closed his book and rose from his desk. Genna held her breath and glanced toward the door once she realized that he was walking toward where she still stood.

"You haven't changed much since we last met. You do remember me, don't you?" Kimbley smiled and held out his hand for the lieutenant to shake. She looked down at it, noticing right away the alchemical symbol that was still tattooed on his palm. One of the two circles that could make just about anything explode with just a simple clap of the hands. Genna wondered for a second if she would be turned into a bomb by touching it, but came to the conclusion that the circle didn't look activated (as far as she knew) and probably wouldn't hurt her. Slowly, she shook his hand.

"Yes, I remember you. We worked together once in Ishbal." _And you put me in a coma that day, too._

"Yes, Ishbal. Good times." remarked the alchemist fondly. Genna wondered how many screws he had loose in his head. "And I see you're still sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, hm? You really haven't changed."

"Huh…?"

"Don't look at me like that. You and I both know why you are in my office today, so there is no reason to hide the reason. You and a few others found some things you weren't supposed to know, correct? Just like back in Ishbal when you saw my Philosopher's Stone."

Genna froze. Was Kimbley saying that he knew about the homunculi, too? Could he be a part of the whole plot? She definitely wouldn't put it past him. And… if he was working for the homunculi, she was in much hotter water than she had first thought.

"Are you a homunculus?" the woman asked before she could stop herself. Kimbley frowned.

"No, I'm not."

"So you're human, then? Nothing fancy?"

"Human beings are the only creatures in the world capable of performing alchemy. Would you like me to demonstrate my skills as proof?"

Genna shook her head right away. After all, Kimbley plus alchemy equalled boom. The lieutenant wasn't very keen on getting blown up or getting caught up in the explosion of something else; that was something she'd prefer to keep as a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing.

"So you know that the Führer is a homunculus?"

"Yes. An interesting concept, really."

"And you know what the homunculi are planning?"

"Not everything, but I've been told the basics, yes."

"And you still work for them?! Are you crazy?! Wait, no, I know you are. But even a man with no brain would be smart enough to avoid things that are planning the destruction of an entire country!"

Kimbley laughed. Genna frowned, wondering what could be so funny about what she had just said. Had she gotten something wrong? Maybe Edward's information hadn't been totally correct. Or maybe the lieutenant colonel wasn't working for the homunculi at all, and was just a freelance lunatic. That didn't explain why he knew so much without penalty, though.

"You ask me why I'm lending myself to the homunculi?" he asked.

"Yeah. You _do _realize that they're planning on sacrificing millions of innocent human lives to accomplish some sort of goal?"

"Yes, I do. Apparently they're trying to make some sort of massive Philosopher's Stone, far bigger than the one I had."

"Then why are you helping them?! What kind of human being-"

"I want to see what the world will be like when the battle is finished." explained Kimbley. When Genna gave her a questioning look, he went on. "I want to see who will win the war of resolve versus resolve, will versus will, life versus life, belief versus belief… Humans versus their so-called 'evolution', the homunculi. Which side will prevail? Who will survive? And right now, I've got my money on the homunculi. They're very powerful, after all. They are capable of accomplishing much more than humans before they die, as they can live forever unless their regeneration ability runs out, and it takes a lot to make that happen."

"So you're on their side because you think they'll win?" Genna inquired, an odd sort of anger boiling in her chest. She felt sick, furious and frightened all at once.

"There are a few other minor reasons behind my choice, but otherwise that's it. Why wouldn't I side myself with the stronger party?"

"Because any normal human would feel that it's their duty to defend their own race with all that they've got, even if it seems unlikely that they'd win!"

The man paused and looked down at her thoughtfully. Then, with a rather creepy smile, he shrugged and walked back to his desk. Genna watched him carefully to make sure he wasn't about to do anything that might end badly for her. She was relieved when he just sat down and opened his book again.

"I think we'll be having a lot of fun together, Lieutenant." he said with a chuckle before falling silent. Confused and somewhat apprehensive, Genna chose not to reply and instead sat at the table and waited for an assignment.

*****

During the lunch hour that day, Genna skipped out on getting her own food and instead scanned the crowds for one of two people, or even both of said persons, preferably. The hustle and bustle of hungry soldiers was making this difficult for the lieutenant, but at least the crowd was keeping her from being seen by people she would rather avoid. She hoped so, anyway. Who knew what kind of super powers the homunculi and their followers had? Maybe they had awesome eyesight that helped them see things they were looking for. If that was the case, Genna could only hope she wasn't being looked for.

Eventually the chaos quieted as the lunch-goers sat down to enjoy their food, ruining the lieutenant's hope for cover and also making it easier for her to see. _Give a little, get a little,_ she thought absently, standing on her toes to give the room one last search. Finally, she spotted a familiar blonde head- Riza! Grinning triumphantly, Genna walked briskly to the first lieutenant's table. Riza turned as soon as the other woman approached and smiled warmly upon recognizing Genna.

"Hello, Takeshi. Are you not eating?" she asked.

"Nah, I was too busy looking for a familiar face. It's weird being away from the gang." replied Genna with a grimace. "It's only been half a day and I already miss the Colonel's slacking off."

"What, does your new superior not share your views on what's worth working on?"

"That's not funny! I'm not a slacker!" Genna protested. Riza laughed quietly.

"You can sit, if you like. It's nice to talk to someone who isn't as uptight as the others working directly for the Führer."

The second lieutenant nodded and took a seat beside the other woman. "So, how's work?"

"Like I said, very uptight." Riza replied. "My shoulders are already beginning to hurt from being so stiff. I also have a lot of work to do now. But, the Führer is a very good man, and unlike the Colonel he is quick to finish his work."

"That would be nice, if not for the whole… well, yeah. As for me, I've been so on-edge all morning that I'm afraid I'll be a nervous wreck for the rest of my life. I'm just waiting for that nut job to come up behind me while I'm not looking and _boom!_"

"It must be very hard for you, considering what happened six years ago."

"Yeah, tell me about it. When Mustang said that Kimbley was behind bars I was ecstatic, and I thought I would never have to deal with him again. I just can't see how they'd let a psychopath like him back into the military! It's just plain-" Genna stopped abruptly as the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

"Just plain what, Lieutenant?"

Both female officers turned in their seats to find Kimbley looking down at them with a wry smile. Genna flinched upon seeing him and almost fell out of her chair, banging her elbow painfully on the table in the process. Swearing under her breath, she clutched her hurt elbow and righted her balance before looking back up at her superior.

"Do you have some sort of telepathy thing that you always can tell when people are talking about you?" she inquired, unable to hide her bitterness. Kimbley shrugged.

"I was looking for you so we could discuss the work that we must finish by the end of the day. It's not my fault that I happened to walk up just as you were sharing your feelings with Lieutenant Hawkeye. Hello, Lieutenant." he added to Riza. She nodded politely in greeting.

"Uh-huh. What's there to discuss? There's only paperwork right now, and if we're called to take care of something, we won't exactly be able to talk about it until we know the issue exists." Genna countered.

"That's a good point, I suppose. Well, in that case, perhaps we should just have a nice chat? After all, it's more than obvious that you aren't too fond of me, but as we'll be working together now it would be in both of our best interests to fix that."

"But…"

"It's alright, Second Lieutenant, I was just about to return to work anyway." Riza piped up, sending Genna a look that said 'there's no use fighting'. Genna returned face with an agonized one, but Riza quickly stood and walked off with her tray. Before the second lieutenant could find an excuse to leave, Kimbley sat where Riza had been and grinned in a friendly manner.

"Now, surely you don't hate me enough to deny me a simple conversation?" he chuckled.

"I was kinda hoping that was the case, yeah." Genna replied, looking away to discourage discussion. Apparently her superior didn't take the hint, though, as he went on.

"So, how have you been since the war? You look well."

"Was better before this morning."

"Has your shooting gotten any better?"

"Still can't shoot a fellow officer, sorry to say."

"I see. Well, that could be a good thing, right? And what about your personal life, if you don't mind me asking? Anything interesting?"

"Nope, not really. I'm too infatuated with my job to look into anything else." The girl made sure to buff the statement up with as much sarcasm as possible, hoping her attitude would persuade Kimbley to leave. It didn't work.

"That's too bad; I was sure a strong, beautiful women like yourself would have picked up a wonderful man by now."

"If you're trying to flirt with me I suggest you back up before I decide to deck you." Kimbley smirked.

"That's not something I would recommend saying to your superior…"

"Well, perhaps I'm trying to get fired."

"I have a bad feeling that this conversation is starting to take a wrong turn…"

"Starting? It was bad the moment you suggested it."

"That's harsh. Well, let's change the subject. What about alchemy?" the man tried.

"What about it?" Genna's eyes scanned the cafeteria, looking for the fastest route to the exit. If she jumped to the left and ran like there was no tomorrow, perhaps she could make it to the door before Kimbley realized what was going on… And from there she could hightail it to Roy's office and hide under his desk like she had wanted to earlier. She chewed her lip, contemplating the idea.

"Have you thought about looking into it? It's a very fine art, very enlightening, and very useful. It really comes in handy on the battlefield, for example."

"Yeah, you would know." She shot him a glare, but he went on smiling. "No, I don't plan on looking into alchemy. Alchemy is something for geeks and circus freaks who can't appreciate traditional hard work."

"Perhaps you would think otherwise if you gave it a try."

"Yeah, no. Even if I wanted to try I wouldn't get anywhere. It's too complicated."

"On the contrary, alchemy is very simple once you understand the basics."

"Awesome. I still don't want to associate myself with stuff that will destroy my country."

Kimbley finally frowned, but before he could say anything, the bell that announced the end of the lunch break rang and the room broke into a hurrying jumble of soldiers once more. Genna practically threw herself into the crowd and disappeared amongst the bodies in her hurry to escape the conversation. Hopefully it wouldn't be picked up again in the office… She would have to busy herself right away to have an excuse to not talk.

What the hell did Kimbley want with her, anyway? She couldn't help but feel very suspicious.


	12. Alchemy

**Author's Note:** Once again I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates. School is a terrible thing and I swear it's infringing upon my eighth amendment rights. / So, as an apology, here's a picture of your favourite slacker: zolf615. deviantart .com/art/Second-Lieutenant-Takeshi-144743764 Now that you finally have a mental image, enjoy this next chapter. :3

**_Alchemy_**

**Tuesday, November 17, 1914**

_Thump!_

Genna sat up abruptly as a heavy object was slammed down on the table beside her head. Looking down, she saw a thick book encased in leather set before her, its pages yellow with age and so thin it seemed as though they would tear under the tiniest amount of pressure. The lieutenant blinked and turned her gaze upward to find Kimbley smiling down at her.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. You weren't sleeping, were you?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"N-no! Of course not!" Genna replied instantly, using every ounce of willpower she had to resist the urge to yawn widely. "Did you need something from me?"

"Yes, actually." said Kimbley. "I'd like you to do me a favour. I have so much work to do today as a Lieutenant Colonel, so I have absolutely no time to be working as a state alchemist." He removed his hand from the cover of the book to reveal the title. "Do you think you could be so kind as to take a few notes for me?"

Genna read the fancy script on the book's casing and raised her eyebrows at Kimbley. "'Basic Alchemy'? Excuse me, but I doubt a state alchemist would be worrying about the basics."

"On the contrary, Lieutenant, you can never learn too much of the basics." The man smiled more before handing Genna some paper and a pen. "You can start from the beginning of the book."

The lieutenant frowned down at the book and then back up at Kimbley. He laughed at her look before turning away and heading back toward his own desk.

"Think of it this way," he told her. "It will relieve you from regular paperwork!"

Genna scowled, but she had to admit that writing down a few notes was a lot more exciting than her regular duties. Heaving a sigh, she opened the book and flipped to the first page. It was covered in tiny blocks of text with a picture of a simplistic transmutation circle in the corner. She had to suppress a groan upon seeing the loads of information on the single sheet of paper. Her head was already beginning to ache.

_Why did he give me this job, anyway? _thought the lieutenant moodily and she began to read. It was then that she recalled the conversation she had held with Kimbley the day before. _Is he trying to get me to learn alchemy again?! What the hell does he want from me, anyway?_

Sneaking a glare at her boss, she considered the possibilities. Why would he want her to learn alchemy? There didn't really seem to be any reason for it; being an alchemist himself, there wasn't anything Genna could do with alchemy that Kimbley couldn't do better by himself. Unless… Kimbley worked for the homunculi… Maybe the homunculi needed another alchemist? But if that were the case, surely they would choose from the endless amounts of state alchemists who actually know what they're doing instead of an ordinary soldier with the occasional tendency to slack off.

Emphasis on the ordinary, not so much the slacking off.

"Circles… formulas… ki… Blah, blah, blah." Genna mumbled to herself as she jotted down a few bullets. "How do alchemists put up with reading all of this boring crap? Sheesh…"

None of this was making any sense to the lieutenant, anyway. All she saw were circles with weird looking symbols drawn on the inside of them. Even as she copied the pictures and wrote down their meanings, she couldn't even begin to remember even the simplest bits. There was a good reason she had picked the military over school.

…Not that she really had much of a choice either way, but if she had to pick again, the boring military sure beat the hell out of school. Sciences, math, history, who needed any of it? And alchemy especially- all alchemy did was blow crap up and take jobs away from those who preferred a bit of elbow grease. Whatever happened to the good ol' days, when people did their own work instead of relying on magicians to fix stuff up? Genna didn't need all of this fancy science to know how to fix something that's broken. As long as you know how a thing is supposed to look when it's working, it's easy to use a few tools and one's own hands to repair it…

"Aren't you working, Lieutenant?"

Genna jumped as her mind was suddenly dragged back to the conscious world. She had fallen asleep in the book with her pen still in her hand, held ready to write. Holding in a groan, she looked up to find Kimbley standing over her again, wearing a disapproving countenance.

"Really, now, what am I going to do with you? I can't have you constantly sleeping on the job." he told her, crossing his arms.

"This alchemy stuff's boring." Genna explained in her defence, glaring at the book. "Can I help it if it puts me to sleep?"

Kimbley sighed, picked up at the book and quickly read over the displayed pages before closing it and setting it down. "Well, I suppose you've done enough for today. Perhaps some field work will perk you up."

"Field work?"

"I just got a call about some chimera running loose in the city that I have been asked to take care of. I'll be needing backup, just in case." the alchemist explained with a smile.

"Don't the police do anything anymore?" grumbled Genna, pushing herself to her feet. "Fine. I'll come."

"Good. Now, let's be off before those chimera can cause too much damage."

---

Genna and Kimbley had been walking through the city for a while now, and presently Genna was beginning to wonder if her boss had any idea of where he was going at all. She had long since lost track of their location; this part of Central was totally foreign to her. And no wonder! The buildings in this part looked run down, and the people who walked through the streets seemed a bit sketchy. The second lieutenant had probably been subconsciously avoiding this creepy corner.

"Where are these chimera, anyway?" she asked impatiently, nervously glancing about her. "Do you even know where we're going?"

"Have some patience, Lieutenant, we're nearly there." Kimbley assured her, slowly down as they neared a corner. He stopped, listened and then peered into an alleyway. "Not there…"

They continued on for a few more minutes before Kimbley came to an abrupt stop and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?" Genna inquired, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Her boss held up a hand to silence her, and she frowned with annoyance. With a heavy sigh, she tried to sense whatever it was he was sensing. Still not seeing anything, she turned to check behind her just in time to see a huge, hideous beast leaping at her.

She screamed and ducked, instinctively covering her head and closing her eyes. It was then she heard a disgusting ripping sound, followed by a splash and a sickening thud. The next thing she knew, she was covered in something hot and sticky. Opening her eyes, she saw blood splattered all over her, making her shriek again.

"Forgive me, Lieutenant, I didn't mean to shower you." said Kimbley as he gently pulled Genna to her feet. He was also covered in blood… as was the mutilated remains of the chimera beside them. Genna gasped and took a step away from it. Inwardly, though, she was glad Kimbley had blown it up before it could tear her apart.

She made a mental note to not like him any better for it.

"On your guard, now, I was told there were three in total." warned Kimbley, already walking further down the street. Wary, Genna stayed at his heels and kept on the lookout for the other chimera.

A ferocious snarling made her stop. Just ahead of her and Kimbley were two angry-looking monsters, each drastically different from the other. One was big and wolf-like, with sabre-like fangs and a long, spiked tail. The other was smaller and resembled a panther, but had huge, leathery wings attached rather awkwardly to its shoulders. Both were staring hungrily at the soldiers, drool hanging from their drawn lips.

"There's the other two," said Genna, pointing out the obvious. Kimbley nodded.

"It's a good thing there are two of us, then, yes? I'll take care of the larger one." he declared, pushing his subordinate toward the feline chimera while he jumped at the wolf. Genna cried out in surprise as she was shoved.

Her sudden movement triggered an instant reaction from the panther, and it sprung at her with unsheathed claws. Genna forced herself to assume a calm she had used on the battlefield in Ishbal and quickly slid out of the way. The chimera glided through the air before landing easily a few feet away from her. Muttering a few swears, Genna reached for her gun, hoping to kill the thing before it could attack again.

Her weapon wasn't there. Eyes widening in panic, the lieutenant patted herself down in search of her gun, but couldn't find it. The chimera was crouching down to pounce again. How was she supposed to hold this monster off without a proper weapon?! It was all Genna could do to merely jump out of the chimera's way as it flew at her.

What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't think straight. Even though she was still a terrible shot, she had been relying on that gun to protect her. Now she was pit against an unnatural, ugly, deadly _thing _and had no way to defend herself. Where was Kimbley?! Surely he had finished off that other chimera by now!

Wait.

_Alchemy._

Maybe Genna could remember something from the book Kimbley had made her read. She had copied down a few circles… which of them would be useful in a situation like this? She ran through her memory as she avoided the chimera's attacks, desperate to come up with anything that could help her.

A wall! The lieutenant had read about making blocks out of the ground, and if she could make one big enough maybe she could prevent the chimera from reaching her until Kimbley came back. Its wings didn't seem to be good for much more than gliding, so she wouldn't even need to make a roof…

Glancing over her shoulder, Genna found that she had been backed into an alley. Perfect; she could transmute the wall of the building next to her and connect it to the other building, making a barrier… It seemed simple enough. She just needed something to draw the circle with. Looking around, she saw a small white rock lying on the ground. She dove for it and grabbed it just as the panther charged at her. Panicking, Genna rolled onto her back and kicked the chimera in the ribs, sending it sliding across the cement.

It was now or never. Recalling the correct circle, Genna scribbled the shape onto the ground in front of her and pressed her hands to it as she had seen other alchemists do.

The circle began to glow with a blue light, and the cement sparked with energy.

Within seconds, it flickered and went out.

Genna's eyes widened in fear. "No, no!" she cried, slapping her hands on the transmutation circle again. Nothing was happening. The chimera was starting to get to its feet… What had gone wrong?! Why wasn't the alchemy working?!

Giving up, she jumped up just in time to avoid being ripped apart by the now frustrated chimera. Running past it, Genna fled back onto the road, hoping to meet up with Kimbley so he could kill the panther thing. When she didn't immediately see him she decided to try and use the alchemy again, using the rock she still held in her hand to redraw her circle on the street before the chimera could catch up.

She tried to activate it. It still didn't work. She tried again. Nothing. The most she got was a few sparks and a bump in the ground.

The lieutenant was so absorbed in the alchemy that she forgot to check on the chimera's location. She was abruptly reminded of its existence when it pounced on her, slamming her to the ground and pinning her down. Her vision briefly failed; she had hit her head. Now the chimera stood over her, its snarling snout in her face. Its hot breath stung Genna's cheek.

This was it. She was going to die.

_Splat!_

Genna screamed as an enormous amount of blood drenched her. There was no pain; this was good, but just the thought of all of that blood… _her blood_… She was glad she had closed her eyes. Absently she wondered if she would end up in heaven or hell.

"Lieutenant,"

Who was that?

"Lieutenant, get up."

Genna frowned. How was she supposed to get up if she was dead?

"Enough sitting around, Lieutenant, it's time to head back."

Genna felt something grab her under the arms and lift her to her feet. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes.

Nothing looked different. She was still on that creepy looking street. The only thing new was the chimera at her feet, which looked as though it had been flattened into a bloody pancake. Genna blinked. If it was dead… Looking down at herself, she found that though she was covered in the crimson liquid, none of it was hers. She was completely unharmed.

Perhaps she was too quick to jump to conclusions.

"There, see, you're perfectly fine. Not even a scratch." Kimbley was saying as he released her to let her stand on her own. "Now that that's all done, I do think it would be a good idea to return to headquarters and wash up, don't you?"

"Y-yeah…" Genna replied, still shaken. Kimbley smiled at her and began to lead the way.

"That was close. You should have been more careful, Lieutenant." he told her. Before she could answer him, he reached into his jacket, pulled out a gun, and turned to hand it to her. "You must have dropped this when the chimera attacked you."

Genna's eyes widened. "I-I _dropped_ it?" she asked, incredulous. How could she have managed that? The gun had been attached securely to her belt!

"Though I did see your attempts to use alchemy. The circle was perfect." Kimbley went on, scratching his chin.

"But it didn't work,"

"No, it didn't…" The alchemist frowned, looking rather disappointed. "Some people just can't use alchemy. Maybe that's your case. Or perhaps you just need to study it more before you understand it enough to use it."

Genna shrugged. It's not like it mattered to her. Next time she would just be more careful with her gun. Though, it was odd that she had lost it so easily…

"Wait a minute," she said suddenly, stopping.

"What is it?" Kimbley asked, looking over his shoulder.

"You took my gun, didn't you?!" Genna demanded, glaring at him. "When you pushed me! You stole it!"

"What would make you accuse me of such a thing?" he inquired, looking incredulous.

"I thought something was going on when you were so persistent about me learning alchemy! You were trying to see if I could do it, weren't you? That's why you brought me along and took my gun!"

Kimbley smiled and shrugged. "Think what you will. Now, let's head back, shall we?"


End file.
